Yuma's Twin Sister
by China Smith
Summary: Yumi Tsukumo is Yuma's twin sister and they both have different ideas when it comes to dueling, until they meet Astral. Astral needs help collecting 'Number' cards in order to regain his memories, so Yuma and Yumi must become Number Hunter's to help him. But can they even help themselves when they find out the true meaning of Yuma's contract with the demon door? SharkXOC.
1. Yumi Vs Shark Part 1

**Hey guys, its China here with a new Zexal story because Cosmic Kiss got me addicted to Zexal. I haven't updated because of my stupid exams but now they are finally over!**

**I noticed that there are no Yuma having a twin stories, so I decided to strike while the iron is hot and be the very first! I can now officially say that people copied my idea if I see any Yuma having a twin stories!**

**Cosmic Kiss inspired me with her story, Jaden's Twin Sister which I recommend those who love GX to read as it has over 400 reviews and its on chapter 31, so catch up while you still can.**

**The cover for this story is a picture of Yumi (my OC) and this story will be following the Zexal storyline except I'll be making massive changes because of Yumi. I hope you enjoy this! **

**The song for this chapter would be "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. You'll find out why I chose this song once this chapter is over. Enjoy!**

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Behind every successful man (or boy), lies a great woman (or girl). At least that's what I like to believe and trust me when I say if it wasn't for me, Yuma would have crashed and burned ages ago.

Sorry, I forgot to tell you guys that Yuma is my twin brother. Before anybody goes, "Wow," or, "You have a twin? That's so cool!" Let me tell you a few things about what it's like being a twin; it's not all it's cracked out to be.

It's not all sharing secrets, or twin telepathy, being a twin can be really annoying. Like especially when people expect you to exactly be like your twin. Phew, thanks for letting me get all of that off my chest. Now let me start off my story by telling you a very important name, Yumi Tsukumo.

I bet you're wondering why this name is so important, simple, it's because that's my name. My parents weren't very creative when they were giving Yuma and I, names; I mean just swap the 'A' in 'Yuma' and replace it with 'I'. What do you get? Yumi! They were probably thinking, "They're twins, so they should probably have similar names."

I mean how cliché is that? Anywho, at this very moment I'm going to take you all on an adventure that has everything you want to see in a story. Such as adventure, drama, family, friendship and maybe even romance!

This is the story about how I and my brother, Yuma became Number Hunter's and went on a crazy adventure that was literally life changing!

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"Yuma, wake up!" I started to prod him urgently in the stomach.

It was 8:00am in the morning and we were already late for school! For some reason Yuma liked to sleep in the Treasury Attic instead of his own bedroom and in a hammock instead of his bed. Sure he likes to feel closer to our Mum and Dad, but seriously, is a drafty attic really better than a nice warm bedroom?

I had already changed into my school uniform which consisted of a sleeveless white blouse; an extremely short pink skirt which only just managed covered my butt, black socks and light brown school shoes.

After five seconds Yuma fell out of his hammock and rolled onto the floor.

"Huh?" He asked before looking at the clock and jumping to his feet, "Arrrrrh! Why didn't anybody wake me up?"

However before I could answer his question he jumped to his feet and stormed out of the room. _Typical Yuma_, I thought before I climbed down the rope that led from the attic to downstairs where I had left my school bag.

Kari (our older sister) was hard at work, using several computer monitors in order to search for the next big 'scoop'. Kari is a journalist which I hated because she usually forced either me or Yuma to find her the next big story which she could report on. Last week I was stuck in the library for the entire day because apparently the librarian was stealing books. That's five hours of my life that I'm never getting back.

Kari had dark pink hair that she always tied in a ponytail, fair skin and grey eyes. She was wearing a baby blue short sleeved shirt with an orange and black hooded jumper. She currently wore her Duel Gazer which had a white frame with an orange lens.

"Where's Yuma?" She asked without looking away from her screens.

"Getting ready for school, he never wakes up on time." I rolled my eyes.

Yuma swung down from the rope that connected the attic to the living room; he was finally dressed in his uniform. He was wearing a short sleeved white shirt with red accents, a red tie, dark blue trousers and he had his school bag, looks like we might not be late to school today...just as long as there are no more distractions.

"Kari, why didn't you wake me up?" Yuma moaned.

"You know I'm always busy in the morning with my work and since you're in middle school you should wake yourself up." She replied in an annoyed tone of voice.

"She's got you there Yuma." I sang.

He shot me a look of death, "As my twin, you're supposed to be backing me up!"

"I could have left you fast asleep in your bed but I decided to wake you up. Now let's go!" I demanded.

Yuma is always making us leave late for school, he's just lucky that it's a fifteen minute walk and ten minutes if you run the entire way. This is what we usually end up doing because of Yuma. He pulled his cheeks to make an ugly face at Kari before he ran out of the house with me on his trail.

Our grandmother was sweeping the pavement outside of the house, so I quickly gave her a goodbye kiss on the cheek.

"Bye Grandma!" I exclaimed.

Yuma pulled his brown shoes on prior to running out of the house, "Bye Grandma, I have to go to school!"

"What about my goodbye kiss?" She asked as Yuma was about to leave.

"I don't have any time, I'm late for school!" Yuma ran past Grandma and her eyes flashed with anger.

If there is one thing I've learnt, Grandma will always get a kiss in the morning by any means, even by force. Indeed I was right because Grandma used the handle of her broom to catch Yuma's collar while lifting him off from the ground. For an elderly woman, she is incredibly strong.

"Yumi can give me a goodbye kiss, so why can't you?" She asked.

Yuma started to flail around in the air like a fish caught on the end of a fishing hook, "She's a girl!"

"Either you give me a goodbye kiss or there will be trouble." She threatened.

I laughed at Yuma's ordeal; how I love the morning. Eventually Yuma had finally kissed Grandma and we were on our way to school.

"I had such a weird dream last night." Yuma admitted.

I gasped at his statement, "So did I. It was about this demonic looking door but I always wake up before anything happens."

Yuma nearly tripped at what I said, "Same here, it always says some kinda creepy words but before I can open the door, I'm falling and then I wake up."

That is such a strange coincidence, but I never hear anything that door says and I'm never falling in midair. Yuma broke me out of my thoughts when he leapfrogged over a Litterbot, which caused it to spin wildly out of control.

Litterbots were large white robots that had a small circular face, four wheels and two thin silver mechanical arms. Like their name suggested, they picked up litter.

"Sorry!" Yuma shouted.

On a normal day I would have helped it but I hate being late to school.

"Hey twins!" A voice from behind us shouted out.

Oh you have got to be kidding me; we're so going to be late for school.

Bronk jumped over us on his skateboard before stopping in front of us, "Hey Yuma, how about we race to the school entrance."

That wasn't a question, this was a challenge and Yuma could never resist a challenge. But then again, neither could I.

"Oh it's on!" I grinned at Bronk.

"You bet it's on." Yuma threw a rice cake into his mouth before running in the same direction as Bronk.

_Legs don't fail me now_, I thought as I ran and caught up with Yuma.

"I'm gaining on Bronk!" Yuma exclaimed before I stopped by the top of the stairwell.

I need to be careful or else I'll break my neck. Bronk was sliding down the slope of the stairs using his skateboard, while Yuma was running down the stairs. Bronk was able to reach the bottom before Yuma and then he literally pulled a dirty trick. He kicked one of the Litterbots which spiralled into Yuma and all Hell broke loose.

Yuma was sprawled onto the pavement with a pile of litter and his Duel Monster cards were mixed up together. I could see a small group of Litterbot's enroute to Yuma's cards. They probably though his cards were litter!

I quickly ran down the stairs and did a flying kick to one of the Litterbots and helped Yuma up. Suddenly a Litterbot picked up Yuma's Monster Reborn card.

"Trash," It exclaimed.

Yuma snatched it off of it, "They're not trash! They're my dueling deck!"

Two Litterbots started to pick up more of his cards, "Dueling trash."

It was my turn to pinch another one of Yuma's cards, "Listen you tin twits, they're not trash!"

I got protective of Yuma's deck because it used to be my father's before he...disappeared. Its unfair how Yuma got the Golden Key as well as my father's deck. The only thing I got was my mother's deck and even that's not enough. Sure a deck is a reflection of a duelist's soul, but sometimes it just isn't enough to help me feel closer to my parents. In the end we managed to save all of Yuma's cards and we were inevitability late to school.

The first lesson of the day was Maths with Mr Kay who is the coolest teacher in school! He is super nice and whenever I or Yuma was late, he didn't shout at us. He had lush burgundy hair, tanned skin and grey eyes. He wore brown chinos, a long sleeved white shirt, a brown waistcoat and brown shoes.

Today's lesson was on Simultaneous Equations which were pretty tricky but I still tried my hardest because I didn't want to disappoint Mr Kay. In the end, my work looked like a big black scribble because I had crossed out my answers so many times.

I sighed with relief when the bell rang, signalling that it was the end of lesson one because now it was break time. We had a fifteen intermission before lesson two started. Everybody usually just ate a quick snack while chatting with their friends.

I usually stayed in a small group with Yuma, Tori and Bronk. We mainly talked about dueling which made me feel sorry for Tori because she didn't duel nor did she own a deck. Time flew so quickly, that I was surprised when the bell rang.

My second class of the day was Gym which was never boring because of Bronk challenging Yuma to do crazy things. Like today, Bronk dared Yuma to jump over twenty blocks to set the school record. I didn't know if Yuma would be able to do it, but it would be fun to see him try.

Everybody was wearing their gym uniform. All of the boys wore a white short sleeved shirt with red accents and blue shorts with red accents. All of the girls however, wore a light blue short sleeved shirt with red accents and plain pink shorts.

"Yuma, you can do it." I patted him on his back as a sign of support.

"Thanks sis. That record is going down as I'm about to high five the sky!" Yuma shouted as he ran up to the springboard and jumped on it.

He was instantly vaulted into the air and for one mad moment, I thought he was going to make the jump. Sadly I was wrong, because he crashed into the middle of the boxes. I instantly ran over to Yuma to examine how badly he had been hurt.

"Are you alright Yuma?" Tori asked as the entire class burst into laughter.

Tori is one of me and Yuma's closest friends. She is a sweet natured girl who always sticks by Yuma's side. Secretly I think she has a crush on him but I would never tell anyone. Tori has fair skin, big orange eyes and short green hair that she ties with an orange ribbon.

"I'm okay; the ground is not that hard." Yuma mumbled.

"Nice try bud!" Bronk laughed as he pointed at Yuma.

Yuma was obviously in a great deal of pain but he refused to go to the Nurses office.

"I'm fine; I'm just feeling the flow." He stated.

Feeling the flow is what my dad always used to say to Yuma and me. It means never give up and strive towards your goal; it was his philosophy which Yuma always kept to. I'm a great believer when it comes to feeling the flow. Next our entire class went to the swimming pool (we changed into our swimming costumes first) where another challenge was set for Yuma by Bronk.

Yuma had to swim an entire lap underwater in one breath. Bronk, Tori and I started to debate as Yuma went underwater.

"Good luck Yuma." Tori called out.

"I know you can do this." I stated.

"No way, it's impossible." Bronk laughed.

After a few seconds, several bubbles started to appear on top of the water before Yuma appeared. He was spitting out water and his face had a green tinge to it.

"Told you, he's such an idiot," Bronk laughed.

I wasn't laughing at Yuma's pain; I fished him out of the water before trying the challenge myself.

"You're nuts," Bronk scoffed, "obviously you're going to crash and burn, just like Yuma did."

I grinned at his statement, "Allow me to prove you wrong."

I dove into the azure blue waters, held my breath, closed my eyes and swam as fast as I could. I don't know how long I was under the water for, but I had bumped into a solid wall which could only mean one thing!

I pulled myself out of the pool and I was greeted by several stunned faces.

"In your face Bronk," I laughed at him before high fiving Yuma.

"That is so unfair! I would've won if I didn't swallow the pool water half way!" Yuma pouted.

"Excuses, excuses," I shook my head at him.

"It's true!" He announced.

The bell started to ring which indicated that Gym was officially over.

My last lesson before lunch is English, which is not my favourite lesson. Don't get me wrong, English isn't that bad but my teacher, Mrs. Johnson can't teach our class to save her life. She is a buxom woman with fair skin, light brown hair and she wears bottle bottom glasses, so I don't know what colour her eyes are. She wears a burgundy skirt suit and black high heels.

Half of the time, she just told us to read a chapter on our laptops (basically it's the touch screen part of the Duel Pad) but instead of reading a chapter, I just surf the internet or go on Spacenook.

Nobody ever catches me because nobody sits next to me, and I sit at the back of the class. Nothing eventful happened in the lesson until near the end.

"With it, I feel the flow!" Yuma shouted while standing up from his seat.

I face palmed at what Yuma had done, I felt sorry for Tori because she had the 'privilege' of sitting next to Yuma. Mrs. Johnson stood in front of Yuma and the entire class was staring at him.

"Sorry." He chuckled before sitting back down.

The bell immediately started to ring so it was now Lunchtime, also known as Dueling Time. I packed away my stuff and stormed out of the room. I didn't bother to wait for Yuma and Tori because they were being forced to stay behind for a few minutes as punishment for talking during class.

I ran outside and watched how some of the students were already dueling; I was tempted to put my Duel Gazer on so that I could watch some duels, but sometimes Augmented Reality got pretty real (even though that was the point).

I started to wander around the yard, watching people duel until I bumped into a boy who was in the second year class, which caused my entire deck to fall on the floor. I instantly recognised him as Shark, because of one simple reason. He's the school bully, the guy who nobody wants to cross.

He has fair skin, sapphire blue eyes and long purple hair that nearly reached his shoulders and it curled at the end. He wore the standard male second year uniform which consisted of a white short sleeved shirt with green accents, green tie, blue trousers and dark brown shoes.

I immediately sunk to the floor to pick up my cards while apologizing to Shark at the same time, "Gosh, I'm really sorry."

I wasn't scared of Shark; I was just apologizing because it was the _polite_ thing to do. His eyes immediately swept over my cards and he bent down to pick them up. At first I thought he was helping me, until we had gathered all of my cards anyway.

"Can I have my cards back?" I asked as I got off of the floor.

He instantly smirked at me, "And what would I get in return?"

He's probably expecting me to plead, but why would I? These are _my _cards after all and I'm not going to let some _punk_ take them away from me.

"My gratitude," I replied timidly.

He started to tap his chin with his index finger as if he was in deep thought; but I knew better.

"Not good enough, these are my cards now." He laughed as he pocketed my cards.

I don't know what came over me next, but suddenly Shark was underneath me and I was strangling him while I repeatedly hit the back of his head on the ground (we were on the grass and it wasn't actually hurting him).

"Give me back my cards, you douche!" I shouted at him.

What's wrong with me? I'm never this violent and I don't curse in public, but then again my deck has never been in danger before. This deck is the last connection I have with my mum and nothing nor anybody, will take it away from me.

All of a sudden I could feel a pair of hands on me, pulling me off of Shark even though I was kicking and screaming my head off.

"Get off me! Let me go!" I screamed.

I could tell that this wasn't going to end well, but I was going to get the rest of my cards back, even if it killed me.

"Simmer down Girly." One of Shark's lackeys' stated.

"How about you go suck on a lemon?" I snapped.

Not one of my best comebacks, but I was angry and my head wasn't clear. Shark pulled himself off the floor and dusted the grass off his clothes. Instead of looking angry, he looked amused which made me angrier.

"You got spirit, so I'll give you a chance to win your deck back. We duel and if you win then I'll let you go. However if I win, then I get your deck, deal?" He asked.

The stakes for this duel are too high; I mean there is too much pressure and I don't duel well under pressure. But what other choice did I have?

"Fine, we have a deal." I sighed as Shark handed me my cards back.

I could try to make a run for it, but I don't fancy the odds. Looks like I'm dueling. I threw the touchscreen for my Duel Disk in the air so that it could unfold while I took the rest of my Duel Disk off my waist and attached it to my left wrist.

"Duel Disk set!" I shouted as I attached the touch screen to my Duel Disk.

"Duel Gazer, let's go!" I exclaimed as I put my Duel Gazer. It was the same design as my friend Tori's (actually most girls have the same design as Tori's) , except it was violet with green accents and it has a green lens which turned my left eye green.

My Duel Gazer matched my Duel Disk which was the standard version except, it was entirely violet.

Shark activated his own Duel Disk which was the blue version of mine. His Duel Gazer was green with grey accents, a yellow triangle on the top left corner with a pink lens which turned his left eye pink. I thought it looked kinda gay because Shark didn't strike me as the type of person who likes pink.

"Duel interface on." The entire field was briefly covered in numbers before turning back to normal.

"Duel," We both shouted.

**Yumi: 4000**

**Shark: 4000**

"Its time for some star power, I draw." I yelled.

Yuma's catchphrase is, "Get set to get decked." So I consider, "Its time for some star power," My own catchphrase. Sure it doesn't have the same ring to it, but it was still fun to say and it matched my deck.

When I duel I usually let my opponent win, which I know sounds kinda obnoxious but it's the truth. Dueling is meant to be about having fun, but the more duels you win; the more the audience expects more of you, which equals massive pressure to the duelist to win.

I rather lose every duel and have my spectators expect less from me, then win every duel and have my spectators place huge amounts of pressure on me to win. I heard that last year, Shark was in the Pro-League which means he'll be hard to beat. But if I beat him, then everybody will think I'm an amazing duelist and pressure me all the time. I'm so confused!

Still, if I lose then Yuma can always win my deck back. I guess I'll just see how this duel goes; I'll play it safe by acting like I don't know how to play Duel Monsters.

"I'll set one monster card in defense mode and I'll place one trap card face-down to end my turn." I finished.

Shark and his friends laughed at me, I acted like I didn't know what they were laughing about.

"What's so funny?" I asked in an innocent tone of voice.

"You're not meant to say what type of card you place face-down." Shark explained.

I acted like I was shocked, "Really? I had no idea, I'm sorry! I don't know how to duel."

"That is so obvious; I summon Big Jaws (3/1800/300) in attack mode."

Big Jaws was a light blue shark with a metal fin on its back and a metal jaw. It 'smiled' at me which made me feel uncomfortable.

"Now I activate Aqua Jet which increases its attack by 1000, making Big Jaws 2800 until the end of the turn. Now I'll attack your face-down monster!" Shark commanded.

It swam over to my monster tried to eat it, "I activate my face-down card, Negate Attack, this does...something." I blushed.

A vortex appeared in front of Big Jaws which prevented it from attacking.

Shark rolled his eyes, "You activated your face-down even though you don't know what it does?"

"Maybe..."

Negate Attack basically does what its name suggests; it negates Big Jaws attack and ends Shark's battle phase.

"Negate Attack negates my attack and ends my battle phase." He explained in an impatient tone of voice.

I acted like I only just realised what he said, "Ooohhh that makes sense."

He covered his eyes with his left hand, "I have nothing to say to you, so I'll end my turn with a face-down card and Big Jaws goes back to its original 1800."

"I now flip my monster, rise up Constellar Acubens (4/800/2000) into attack mode." I smiled.

Constellar Acubens is a silver mechanical man with orange pincers and the Cancer constellation appeared behind it as my monster appeared.

"Why the hell would you put a monster with powerful defense in attack mode?" He asked.

I acted shocked, "Did I do something wrong?"

"All you've done is made this duel easier for me to win." He laughed.

"So Sharky, quick question, what's your star sign?" I asked.

He looked surprised, "What?"

"I'm just making small talk; in fact I want to tell you your horoscope." I grinned.

"I don't know what you're going on about." He growled.

"I would say that you're a Sagittarius which means you were born around the 21st November to the 21st December, correct?" I asked.

His eyes lightly widened, "That changes nothing!"

I winked at him, "If only you knew Sharky, in fact I have just the monster for you. Come on out Constellar Kaust (4/1800/700) in attack mode!"

A man wearing bright silver and blue armour appeared. He was holding a gold bow and arrow and the Sagittarius sign appeared behind him.

"Now Sagittarius' people are very independent and crave excitement and adventure which describes you very well." I explained.

Shark started to stamp his feet impatiently, "We're meant to be dueling! Not messing around with stupid horoscopes!"

"That's where you're wrong, we're dueling and you'll wish you never messed with me! I overlay level 4 Acubens and Kaust to build the Overlay Network to Xyz summon Constellar Omega (4/2400/500) in attack mode!" I shouted.

My two monsters turned into two streams of white light and flew into a black hole on the floor in front of us. A white, gold and blue armoured centaur appeared on my field and it was holding a golden circular shield.

"No way," Shark exclaimed.

He had definitely bought my little 'I can't duel' act and now he was going to suffer the consequences. Underestimating your opponent is always the worst mistake you can make.

"Now Omega, attack Big Jaws!" I pointed at the ugly shark monster.

Omega started to charge towards Big Jaws.

"I activate Zeus's Breath so your attack is negated and you lose 800 for each Water-Type monster on the field I control." Shark smirked.

It was now my turn to smirk, "Haven't you heard of special abilities? By detaching an Overlay unit, all Constellar monsters aren't affected by spell and traps cards this turn so you've just lost your monster, your trap card and some of your life-points."

"Crap!"

Omega hit Big Jaws on its face (if Shark's have faces).

**Yumi: 4000**

**Shark: 3400**

"Now I'll end my turn with another face-down." I concluded.

If Shark thinks he's in for an easy ride, then he's going to be surprised because nobody is going to take my mum's deck away from me, nobody.

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**Cliffhanger, you have to love them. I decided to replace Bronk dueling Shark with Yumi dueling Shark. Will Yumi beat Shark? Or will she lose her deck? Review, subscribe or favourite the story.**

**You'll get virtual cookies as a reward and my gratitude. If this story doesn't become popular, I'll still update but it won't be on the top of my updating list as I have other stories. On my profile is my Facebook page which will have pictures of Yumi.**

**I'll be publishing more pictures of Yumi and maybe even her Duel Gazer on there.**

**See you guys soon!**


	2. Yumi Vs Shark Part 2

**Astrid: Alright, China isn't currently with us because she's in the hospital. But she does have a new poll up that she wants you guys to answer.**

**Astral: Really? What happened?**

**Astrid: She saw how many reviews she got and got a heart attack from sheer happiness.**

**Astral: How many reviews did she get? What is the poll about?**

**Astrid: 15. Nothing much, just about if anybody wants to see me appear in the next chapter and become an official character of this Fanfiction because she doesn't know if I should appear. No biggie.**

**Astral: Observation one, when Fanfiction writers receive a large amount of reviews, they have a heart attack and nearly die because they're too happy. Observation two, when Fanfiction authors are unsure about what to do for their stories, they ask their readers for their opinion. Also China Smith recommends you listen to the song "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz**

**Astrid: *sweat drops* Anyway, China Smith doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal but if she did then she would have made Yumi an official character and Kaito/Kite appear naked in at least one episode. Because and I quote, "He is sexy." Now enjoy and review this chapter and you get to take a picture with Kit, I mean Kite, I mean Kaito, I mean- just call him whatever! I'm outie!**

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**Last chapter summary: **Yumi bumped into Shark who took some of the cards in her deck after she bumped into him. Now she is dueling him for the right to keep her deck. Currently Yumi controls the Xyz monster, Constellar Omega (4/2400/500) and one card face-down. Shark controls no monsters with no set cards, but now Yumi has ended her turn and its Shark's move.

**Yumi: 4000**

**Shark: 3400**

Shark started to growl at me, "Before I was going easy on you, but now its time for a world of pain! I summon Skull Kraken (3/600/1600) in attack mode!"

A grey kraken like creature appeared. It was basically a huge skull with a circular mouth on the top of its head that was filled my many sharp teeth, spilling out of the actual monsters mouth was several tentacles and on the ends of the tentacles were pincers.

"That is some ugly monster." I shuddered.

It wasn't just ugly; it was also pretty terrifying. But I couldn't show Shark that I was creeped out, otherwise he would take it as a sign of weakness.

"Well you haven't seen anything yet; because I activate Surface which lets me special summon a Water-Type monster in my graveyard in defense mode. I special summon Big Jaws (3/1800/300) in defense mode. Now I overlay my level 3 Big Jaws and Kraken to build the overlay network to Xyz summon, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark (3/1900/1000) in attack mode. Now I'll activate Aero Sharks effect, by detaching one Xyz material from this card, I can inflict 400 life-points to my opponent for each card I have in my hand and since I have two, you'll be losing 800 life-points." He sneered.

My eyes widened at his brilliant move, I'm doomed. Aero Shark flew towards me and dropped two bombs on me.

**Yumi: 3200**

**Shark: 3400**

"I activate an old favourite, you remember Aqua Jet which raises my monsters attack by 1000 this turn (1900 → 2900). Now Aero Shark, attack Constellar Omega!" Shark ordered.

You could tell how much he hated my monster with his tone of voice. Too bad it's going to be sticking around, well bad news for him anyway.

"Not so fast, I activate Doble Passé which forces your monster to attack me directly." I explained as Aero Shark body slammed me, causing me to hit the ground which now had a huge dent from where I had landed.

I started to grimace in pain; that attack felt way too real. That's the problem with Augmented Reality; if the images look too real then your mind makes you think that a real monster actually attacked you.

**Yumi: 300**

**Shark: 3400**

Shark started to laugh at my life-point counter, "Why would you play that card? You're down to your last thousand life-points!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Constellar Omega will now attack you directly!" I grinned.

Constellar Omega jumped over Aero Shark and kicked Shark with its hind legs. Shark ended up falling on his butt.

**Yumi: 300**

**Shark: 1000**

"I may not be the best duelist around, but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Doble Passé turns your attack into a direct attack and in return, my monster can attack you directly." I clarified.

"In that case, I end my turn with one face-down and Aero Shark goes back to its original attack points (2900 → 1900)." He sighed.

I need to get rid of Aero Shark before Shark's next move because he'll be able to destroy the rest of my life-points!

"It's my turn, I draw." I smiled at the card that I had just drawn.

It was Dark Hole and I had a Monster Reborn in my hand; I could activate Dark Hole and destroy every monster on the field, then bring back Constellar Omega with Monster Reborn and attack him directly for game!

"Your Aero Shark is going down! I activate Dark Hole which destroys every monster on the field." I stated before Shark began to laugh.

"This duel is over! I chain the trap card, Icy Crevasse. If one monster on my field is destroyed by a card effect, I can destroy your own monster and inflict damage equal to your monsters original attack points." He explained.

I know what you're thinking; Dark Hole destroys every monster on the field including my own, which means that Shark can't activate his trap card. Wrong! Basically Shark chained his Icy Crevasse to my Dark Hole which means that his trap still works (its hard to explain).

Constellar Omega fell through a crevasse filled with ice and all the icy spikes flew out and hit me, causing me to fall to the ground.

**Yumi: 0**

**Shark: 1000**

**WIN: Shark**

If only I didn't neglect his face-down card, I would have probably seen something like this coming. Shark isn't as good as his reputation. He's _better. _The Augmented Reality turned off as Shark approached me and took my deck.

"Thanks for the duel and for this." He sneered.

"Not so fast!" I heard a familiar voice.

It was Yuma! Now he comes to my rescue, Tori and Bronk were with him. Tori looked quite concerned and Bronk just looked like he usually did.

"Who are you?" Shark asked him.

Yuma helped me up, "My name is Yuma and I'm Yumi's brother."

"Buzz off!" One of Shark's lackeys shouted, "Don't you know who you're messing with?"

Yuma still stood strong, "Sure, I know him. Everybody knows the school bully."

Shark only just chuckled, what did it take for that guy to be unnerved?

"I'm no bully, Yumi and I had an arrangement." He shrugged.

Yuma started to growl, "What?"

"It went a little something like this; if I won then I got to keep Yumi's deck." He answered.

It was time for all eyes to be on me, "Yumi, how could you? You know how important that deck is." Yuma looked disappointed.

I started to tighten my hands into fists, "I had no choice, he stole my cards and he said the only way I could get them back is if I beat him in a duel."

"You had no right to do that and if you have to challenge somebody to a duel, then challenge me." Yuma announced.

I nearly fell over, its not that Yuma's bad at dueling, it's just...oh who am I kidding? He stinks worse than a 100 year old piece of cheese that's been left in the boiling hot sun for the entire summer.

"Are you out of your mind? You're not even in the same league as Shark." Lackey number one said.

"In fact, you're not even in the same sport." Lackey number two added.

Yuma started to grit his teeth together, "So is that a no? I guess that means that you're just a big coward."

The atmosphere instantly changed, Shark didn't look happy. At least I found out what unnerves him; being called a coward.

Shark took one step forward, "Do you know what happened to the last person who called me that?"

"Something, "Yuma gulped, "bad?"

"I don't know, cause it's never happened before!" Shark roared.

I nearly screamed in terror, I don't think I've ever seen somebody that mad before. Wait, no I have, Kari, if her scoop turns out to be false and she blames Yuma and me for giving her false information.

"Well then let this be the first." I admired Yuma for his bravery.

I could tell that Shark was surprised because he started to smile again. You know, he actually didn't look half bad when he smiled. I can tell why most girls in first and second year have a crush on him. Wait, what the hell am I saying? He's the enemy! He's the bad guy! He's the guy that stole my mum's deck! I can't afford to let myself become distracted!

Shark held my deck in front of Yuma's face, "Alright Yuma, say if you and I did duel for Yumi's deck. What would I get in return? What's in it for me?"

Yuma looked at his Golden Key and started to grip it. Yuma, you better not bet that key or I will kill you.

"Good question, I hadn't thought about that." Yuma replied.

Shark's eyes instantly widened; I instantly knew what he was planning but I was too late to stop his hand lunge out and grab the key.

"No!" I screamed.

Shark's lackeys instantly restrained Yuma, "Hey, that's mine!"

"My, my, this key sure seems important to you. Tell you what, since it means that much to you, I'll give it back. In fact- whoops!" He dropped the key and it clattered to the ground.

"I dropped it; I hope nothing bad happens to it. Say like this!" Shark was about to stamp on it, but I knew that I had to stop him. That key is what makes Yuma go with the flow, it makes him happy and it's what reminds him of Mum and Dad. I instantly tackled Shark and we both started to roll over to the railing, I ended up getting my bracelet caught in his hair.

"Ow!" He exclaimed before he snatched my bracelet off my wrist, untangled it from his hair and threw it over the railing into the forest below.

"Noooooooo," I cried as I pulled myself off of the floor and tried to see if I could see my bracelet even though I knew it was impossible.

I can't believe it! I try to make things better but I make them worse instead. At least Yuma's key is safe, I thought before I saw one of the lackeys pick it off of the floor and handed it to Shark. In all of the confusion, nobody had thought to pick up the key. Its official, I'm cursed with seriously bad luck.

"Just for that little stunt, you'll never get your deck back." Shark told me as he snapped Yuma's key in half and threw half of it into the woods.

"Sorry Yuma." I apologised even though I knew that words wouldn't be enough to sort this mess out.

Bronk had to actually restrain Yuma by grabbing his waist as Yuma tried to attack Shark.

"You're going down! Let me go Bronk!" Yuma snarled.

Shark knew that this problem wouldn't go away, that we wouldn't be intimidated by his malicious tactics.

"Since I'm such a nice person, how about we duel this Sunday in front of the Railway Station at 10am? If you win, then I'll reconsider giving you your deck back. But if you lose, then I get your deck as well, literally twin sets!" He laughed at his own pun.

Oh real nice, make a twin joke at a time like this. With that he walked away.

* * *

**Yumi: Fml, am I really that horrible?**

**Yuma: Yes! Because of you my key got broken in half and you lost the last two things which belonged to Mum!**

**Yumi: *crawls away to the emo corner and starts to draw circles with her finger in the dust* China Smith appreciates reviews and would like you guys to vote on her new poll.**

**Yuma: China also said, "I'm sorry for breaking episode 1 into two chapters but rest assured all of episode 2 will be in chapter 3. I thought it would have a bigger impact broken up."**

**Yumi: *still in emo corner* Review, vote on the poll and save me from this dark, desolate place.**


	3. Go With The Flow

**Hey guys, its China here and as you can see I'm out of the hospital :D. Thank you for those lovely 15 reviews on chapter 1. I received 15 reviews for chapter 2 which made my day and put me in a coma for over a week. Also I recommend you listen to the song 'Paradise' By Coldplay for this chapter because it explains how Yumi used to imagine dueling as paradise but after being exposed to the Number cards, her idea of dueling changed because she was forced to grow up. At least that's my interpretation of the song...**

**Astrid: Now get to the good stuff, did I get voted into the story?**

**Sorry Astrid, but only 1 person said yes while the other 12 said no, sorry**

**Astrid: YOU GUYS ARE EVIL! I SHOULD BE IN THIS STORY! ME!**

**Sorry, Astrid has gotten a bit loony and Yumi refuses to get out of the emo corner. So, the 15 people who get a picture with Kite are:**

**Twilight Rose Witch**

**Cosmic Kiss**

**Sanokal**

**Zexal fangirl**

**Spatial-Eyes Photon Fenix**

**MewBladeXxX**

**Nyx's Black Rose**

**Light-Sakura**

**DragonKnight15**

**MCRDanime**

**Tsukuyomi-chan**

**FlameSpear**

**Tatiana**

**The Queen of Water**

**Now I have a very special gift for my Kaito loving sister, K.I.T.T RIDER. I got you a very special gift; here is a naked picture of Kaito posing and YOUR VERY OWN CAN OF PEPSI!**

**Yumi: UNFAIR! I WANNA PICTURE WITH KITE! I WANNA KISS HIM!**

**Back foul demon! How many Kite fangirls are there? Astral! Take us home!**

**Astral: China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, only Astrid and Yumi. Observation 3, the females of this world go crazy whenever they see the Number Hunter, Kite Tenjo who is apparently 'sexy'.**

* * *

**Last chapter summary: **Yumi dueled Shark which she lost and it caused her deck to be stolen by Shark. Yuma got involved which caused Shark to get annoyed and try to break the Golden Key. This caused Yumi to tackle Shark but he ended up throwing her bracelet into the forest before breaking the key. Now Yuma has to duel Shark for the right to keep Yumi's deck but if Yuma loses, he also loses his deck.

Ever since yesterday Yuma hasn't been himself after Shark destroyed his Golden Key and tossed my bracelet. He doesn't believe in 'going with the flow' anymore which is actually killing me. For the first time this year, Yuma and I were actually on time to school and he didn't injure himself all day.

"Hey Yuma, want to do the twenty block challenge?" Bronk asked in Gym with all of the boxes already stacked up.

Yuma just looked at his key before replying, "No thank you."

"Come on Yuma, do the underwater challenge!" Tori started to splash Yuma with pool water while we were in the swimming pool.

Yuma continued to stare at his key, "I don't wanna, I'm just not feeling the flow."

With each passing second, my heart became more and more weighed down with guilt. I had done this to Yuma; therefore I had to be the one to sort this mess out. I had decided to hunt for the missing half of Yuma's key and my bracelet in the forest after school because Yuma was being held behind after class to catch up on his schoolwork. It'll give me around an hour to find it and Yuma will be so happy when I present it to him.

When school day was finally over, I approached Bronk to ask him for his help.

"Bronk, could you please help me?" I begged him.

"Depends, on what?" He answered in a suspicious tone of voice.

"Remember when Shark threw me and Yuma's artefacts into the forest yesterday?" I started to give him my best puppy dog eyes.

"No! No way! Have you seen the size of that forest?" He exclaimed.

"Exactly, I need help!" I pouted.

Bronk started to walk away, "Fine, be that way! But know this, without that key Yuma will act how he did today for the rest of his life! That key is what gives him confidence, what makes him go with the flow and without that he'll have no chance on Sunday!"

Bronk stopped and turned around, "Why is that key so important to him anyway?"

The dreaded question, not the first time somebody has asked this.

"It's Yuma's good luck charm; it's a very long story. So will you help?" I asked.

At first Bronk was resistant but after I grabbed his leg and refused to let go, he reluctantly agreed.

"Fine, I'll help you! Now let me go!" He started to shake his leg again and unluckily for me Shark, took that very moment to walk past.

He did a double take when he saw me 'humping' Bronk's leg, "Oh like you've never seen a 13 year old girl begging before!" I exclaimed.

"I knew you were desperate Yumi, but I didn't think you were that desperate." Shark snickered as he walked away.

That guy just boils my blood! Just give me five minutes alone in a room with him. Then I remembered what he had just said, "What do you mean desperate?" I shouted at him.

* * *

After God knows how long, Bronk had found Yuma's key thing but not my bracelet. I loved that bracelet but Yuma's key took priority because of the duel on Sunday. The sun was beginning to set and I could faintly hear the school bell which meant that Yuma had finally finished school.

Bronk and I both ran to the front of the school where Yuma was talking to Tori.

"Yuma, do you still wanna duel Shark?" I asked him.

Yuma looked over to me with a sad look in his eyes, "I don't know, I just don't know."

Bronk interrupted me, "I don't think you should duel Shark tomorrow bud, you'll lose your deck like Yumi did and she is a better duelist than you. Face it, you've got no chance."

I elbowed Bronk in the gut, "Not helping!" I hissed.

"How do you know Bronk?" Yuma asked.

"Shark made it to the Duel Nationals last year and you can't even beat a 6 year old in a duel." Bronk replied.

I dueled Shark myself, that guy is way too resourceful and really skilful. The odds may be against Yuma but I know he can still win.

"He was 5!" Yuma yelled.

We all face palmed at Yuma's foolishness, "Not to mention this is my own fault and I don't want you to suffer because of it." I admitted.

Yuma suddenly had this determined look in his eyes, "I don't care that Shark made it to the nationals last year. He needs to learn that he can't push people around, especially my sister! One day, I'll make it to nationals and I'll prove to everybody that Yuma Tsukumo is an amazing duelist!"

Tori looked pretty amazed by Yuma's heart warming speech and so did Bronk, "Well then Mr. Big shot, you'll need this." I took the key from Bronk's hand and handed it to Yuma.

Yuma started to smile and cheered very loudly, "How did you guys find this?"

Bronk and I gave each other a look before facing Yuma, "You don't need to know." I answered.

I still had tree branches in my underpants from our little 'escapade'.

* * *

Today was finally D-Day (also known as Duel Day) because Yuma was dueling Shark. Yuma was wearing a red vest with a white hood and purple tanktop with a purple 'D' on it. He also wore white trousers with designs of three orange moon crescents attached to one another with yellow outlines at the bottom, a white brown-stripe belt, and black with blue streaks shoes with white straps. His accessories were brown finger-less glove on his left hand, a black protective pad on his right elbow and a thick, dark blue bracelet with light blue gems, red outlines on his right wrist and the broken Golden Key around his neck.

If you haven't noticed, I'm pretty embarrassed to be seen with Yuma in public because he always looks like his wardrobe threw up on him. I was _always _changing my look because wearing the same clothes all the time got boring.

I was currently going through a phase where I loved wearing skirts (even though I usually don't like wearing them). I had styled my black hair so that it reached my mid back with my orange fringe trailing down the middle of my forehead (no I don't dye my hair, my mum's hair was naturally orange and I seemed to have inherited her hair colour). I wore a sleeveless indigo coloured top and a violet skirt with indigo accents in the pleats. To finish I had black fingerless gloves, a black deck holder, black leggings which stopped just above my knees and black boots with white soles that reached just under my knees.

We both ran out of the house when Grandma stopped us, Yuma actually gave her a kiss this time but she just handed up each a packed lunch.

"Its duel fuel, now take that bully down!" Grandma exclaimed.

She really needs to stop eavesdropping on our phone calls; nevertheless we still thanked her and left.

We made it to the station at the appointed time where we met up with Tori and Bronk. A few minutes later, Shark and his pals showed up and I nearly drooled when I saw Shark. Even though Shark was a sociopath, you had to admit that he had some style.

He was wearing a purple jacket on top of a brown shirt, dark trousers and white shoes with green gems. He had a couple of accessories which consisted of a grey shark tooth necklace and two silver rings on his right hand.

_No Yumi, you need to focus! _I thought.

"I'll give you props for showing up but you should start saying goodbye to your cards." Shark laughed.

Yuma's comeback was sure brave, "The only thing your getting is a good old fashioned butt kicking with a side of revenge!"

"You tell him Yuma!" I cheered.

"I wonder why?" Shark asked in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Cause I'm feeling the flow!" Yuma didn't catch onto the sarcasm.

Yuma threw his Duel Disk in the air before throwing his Duel Gazer as well.

"Duel Disk, let's go! Duel Gazer, let's roll!"

Everybody put their Duel Gazers on as the Augmented Reality turned itself on.

**Yuma: 4000**

**Shark: 4000**

"Yay Yuma," Tori cheered, "win this!"

"Get set to get decked, I'll go first. I summon Zubaba Knight (3/1600/900) in attack mode and I can't attack cause it's my first turn. That ends my turn." Yuma grinned.

A yellow and red knight holding twin swords appeared and shouted, "Zubaba Knight!"

Yuma shouldn't have put his monster in attack mode because I'm willing to bet that Shark is going to summon Big Jaws. I've dueled Shark myself and it seems that Big Jaws is his signature monster.

"It's my turn, draw! I'm about to ground that knight with Big Jaws (3/1800/300) and did you know that when two monsters are in attack mode, the one with the lower attack is destroyed and its owner takes damage equal to the difference in attack." Shark explained.

Big Jaws is a light blue shark with a metal fin on its back and a metal jaw.

What? He's treating Yuma like somebody who had only just learnt how to play the game.

"What! But I'll take 200 points of damage," Yuma whined.

Shark laughed, "Such a weak monster should have been placed in defense mode, but even if you did summon a stronger monster, I would have been able to destroy it anyway. I activate Aqua Jets which increases its attack by 1000 making it 2800."

"That's not good!" Yuma exclaimed.

That means Yuma is going to take 1200 points of damage. This is not good at all!

"Big Jaws attack Zubaba Knight with Big Mouth!" Shark commanded.

Two aqua jets appeared on either side of Big Jaws mouth. Water squirted out which sped Big Jaws towards Zubaba Knight and turned him into digital pieces.

**Yuma: 2800**

**Shark: 4000**

"Now to end my turn I'll set this card face-down." Shark finished.

"Come on Yuma!" Tori cheered.

"It's not as bad as it looks." I tried to reassure him.

"Really, cause it's completely as bad as it looks!" Bronk yelled.

I punched him in the arm, "I know that, you know that but Yuma doesn't know that!"

"Well allow me to prove you guys wrong, I summon Gagaga Magician (4/1500/1000) in attack mode." Yuma announced.

A man wearing a black cloak draped in silver chains appeared and he looked pretty gothic.

"What! You just summoned a weaker monster again." Shark pointed out.

What is up with Yuma today? Unless...

"I equip Gagaga with Wonder Wand, increasing his attack by 500 making him 2000. Maybe you should put your weak monsters in defense mode because Gagaga Magician is no longer a weak monster." Yuma laughed.

Bronk, Tori and I cheered Yuma because of his brilliant move.

"Gagaga Magician, attack Big Jaws with Gagaga Magic!" Yuma ordered as his magician waved his wand to strike Big Jaws.

"I activate Zeus' Breath which negates your attack and because I control a Water-Type monster, you lose 800 life-points." He explained.

Yuma got hit with a huge wave of water and fell on his back.

**Yuma: 2000**

**Shark: 4000**

Shark used this card on me and I really hate its effect. Not to mention Yuma has lost half of his life-points in only three turns.

Yuma started to groan until he looked at his hand and smiled. He jumped back onto his feet before doing a back flip, and people said that doing gymnastics would never come in handy.

"If you can play trap cards, then so can I and that's what I'll do." Yuma grinned.

A face-down card appeared in front of Yuma. Bronk and I both started to groan, "Yuma! You can play two types of face-down cards, never say which is which!"

With that new piece of information, Tori started to scream in outrage, "Get it together!"

Yuma's face started to pale, "Ahhhh."

"Trap card eh? Like that makes a difference, I summon Skull Kraken (3/600/1600) in attack mode." Shark announced as his grey monster appeared from the ground.

It was still as ugly as I remembered but Yuma seemed unfazed by it because it only had 600 attack points.

"Gagaga is still stronger." Yuma remarked.

Shark sneered, "Not for much longer, I activate Skull Kraken's special ability which lets me destroy one face-up spell or trap card on the field and I chose Wonder Wand."

Black ink fell out from Skull Kraken's mouth and destroyed Wonder Wand.

"Oh no," Yuma moaned.

"Oh yeah," Shark grinned as Gagaga was weakened, "Now Gagaga Magician is bottom of the food chain."

That was when I realised something very important; he has two level 3 monsters on the field!

"This is very bad, he's going to Xyz summon and that will be Yuma's downfall." I told Bronk and Tori.

"You fool; did you really think you could defeat me? The best of the best and win Yumi's deck back?" Shark gloated.

He sure is modest (!) Yuma looked disappointed, he's lost his confidence. He started to grab his key and he looked like he was going to cry.

"Face it Yuma, I've stomped your key and now I'm going to stomp you!" He continued without any sign of remorse, "That's right Yuma, this duel is over and when I've won your dueling deck, I'll trash it just like your key!"

Shark really has no respect, "Then maybe you'll learn your lesson, don't pick fights you can't win!"

That is just so wrong! You should never give up, even if the situation seems hopeless!

"That's where you're wrong Shark! I'll never learn that lesson!" Yuma announced, "No matter how many times I fall, no matter how many times I get laughed at! I'll never stop high fiving the sky because when you're feeling the flow, there is no going back and speaking of feeling the flow, "Yuma grabbed his key off his neck, "I am!"

The key started to glow in his right hand and Yuma gasped. What the hell is happening? The light in Yuma's eyes started to dim, it was like his body was there but nobody was home. Where has my brother gone?

"This is no dream." I heard a creepy voice. I turned around and looked at Bronk and Tori.

"Did you guys say something?" I asked.

"No." They both stated.

"Have you the courage to unlock this power?" The voice continued, "It is time to decide, what will it be?"

I started to hit my forehead with the palm of my hand, "What is with this voice?"

Suddenly a stream of gold light flew at me, hit my right wrist and my wrist felt like it was on fire. That was when I noticed my gold bracelet, which I couldn't believe as it was thrown into the forest. I tried to take it off but it wouldn't budge; it actually hurt every time I tugged it, like it was a part of my skin.

In the corner of my eye, I could see a pink humanoid form. I turned to my left but I couldn't see anything, then I turned to my right and I still couldn't see anything. That was when I heard a feminine giggle, so I faked that I was looking to my left before quickly turning to my right so I could finally meet the pink stranger.

I couldn't really describe the being because it looked like a girl, yet it wasn't a girl. Basically 'she' was slightly taller than me and she looked like a human except she looked like she was made out of pure pink energy. Her pink hair reached her collarbone, her body was curvaceous and her right eye was the same pink as her body but her left eye was blue. Her face and body was covered with strange purple markings.

"Hiya," She giggled as she started to fly around me.

I was surprised that nobody was paying any attention to this strange 'girl'.

"Guys, can't you see her?" I started to point at the mysterious girl.

Tori and Bronk were both looking straight at her, "Who are talking about?"

"Yeah, see who?" Tori asked.

That was when a stream of dark purple surrounded Shark. Yuma looked like he was awake again but his key was whole.

"My key is fixed." Yuma murmured.

"That's right," Shark groaned, "and you are in a fix!"

Shark started to scream and I swear his eyes looked different, like they were full of rage.

"I overlay level 3, Big Jaws and Skull Kraken," The two monsters turned into a blue and dark purple stream of light and flew into a dark hole filled with stars.

"Now I can build the Overlay Network to summon Number 17: Leviathan Dragon (3/2000/0)!" Shark jeered.

"Number, I've never heard of a Number card before." I admitted.

"Neither have I." Bronk answered.

A cloud of purple sphere appeared and it had a big purple eye in the middle. I screamed because it was really scary and it was starting to spin with two streams of light circling it. Two wings popped out from the sphere and so did a very angry dragon face with red eyes. I was staring into the eyes of a very angry looking blue dragon and the number '17' appeared on its right horn.

The girl instantly stopped floating, "Uh oh! Your friend is in trouble!"

"He's my brother!" I shouted at the girl.

Everybody stared at me, "Carry on with your duel." I instructed in a meek tone of voice.

"Now by removing one overlay unit, my dragon gains 500 attack points (2000 = 2500)." Shark explained as his monster received its power boost.

"What!" Yuma yelled as Leviathan Dragon ate a beam of light.

"Now attack that puny magician with Shark Stream Blast!" Shark commanded as Leviathan Dragon blew a ball of blue light at Gagaga Magician.

Yuma was blown back and was hit with purple lightning. He hit the ground so hard, it left a dent in the concrete, "Yuma!" I shouted.

**Yuma: 1000**

**Shark: 4000**

"This duel is just about done, one more attack and you're through!" Shark laughed like a manic.

"Yuma!" Tori screamed.

"That's some dragon," Yuma tried to stand up, "so much for a comeback."

"Rise," I could hear a calm sounding voice and I saw a strange blue guy that was standing next to Yuma.

'He' was tall, entirely blue, had all these green markings and blue rooster style hair. His right eye was the same shade as his body while his left eye was an amber colour.

"Look, it's my older brother! Hey Astral," The pink girl charged over to Astral and gave him a tackle hug.

Yuma jumped off the floor and started to point at Astral, "What's an Astral and who is she?"

"Astral is my name if I recall." Astral answered.

"I'm Astrid and that's all I know." The pink girl shrugged.

Astral and Astrid, they even sound related. But why the heck are they here and who are they.

"What do you mean, 'if you recall'?" Yuma asked.

"Yuma, pull yourself together." Tori stated.

"Yeah, who are you talking to?" Bronk agreed.

Seriously, couldn't they see the two floating people?

"Can't you see them?" Yuma demanded.

"They're the two floating people!" I added.

"Where," Tori asked while staring at the spot Yuma was pointing to.

"There!" Yuma and I shouted.

"They've lost it." Tori shook her head.

"We're not crazy!" I started to pull my hair out.

Yuma started to jump around like a monkey, "Yuma's losing so badly, he's hallucinating!" Bronk looked worried.

"I am not!" Yuma stopped jumping.

He started to mumble to himself while Astrid appeared right next to me, "Is he always this crazy?"

"Go away!" I tried to push her but my hand passed right through her.

"What have you lost? Maybe we can find it together." Astral announced.

Yuma snapped his fingers together and grinned, "I got it! You're my guardian angel!"

Astral looked shocked, "I am no such thing."

Yuma nearly fell on the ground, "Or am I?" Astral asked.

If I didn't know any better, I would say Astral lost him memories.

"You're right, Astral and I seem to have lost our memories." Astrid replied in a sad tone of voice.

It was my turn to fall over, "Did you just read my mind?"

"Yep," She giggled.

"You don't know what you are?" Yuma asked.

"I don't recall who I am; in fact I don't recall anything." Astrid elaborated, "Only that I arrived here with a purpose and even that has escaped me."

Yuma started to grind his teeth together, "It escapes you! Then just how important was it?" He sunk to his knees, "Maybe if I ignore him he'll go away."

"Go where?" Astral asked.

"Anywhere," Yuma shouted.

"Yuma, get it together!" Tori shouted.

"I'm dueling already!" Yuma replied.

"Alright Yuma, I'll end my turn with one face-down." Shark finished.

"He is angry," Astral commented.

"Ah yeah, but his dragon is about to make him feel better by ending this duel." Yuma rolled his eyes.

"Duel," Astral seemed to remember that word.

"What do you know about dueling?" Yuma asked Astral.

"Plenty, yes I can duel!" Astral seemed to be much happier.

"Yeah, and I tap-dance." Yuma rolled his eyes.

"Yep, Yuma's lost it." Tori and Bronk agreed.

"I can duel and I'll show you. Draw." Astral adjusted his arms in like a scale position.

Yuma seemed annoyed, "Quiet! It's my line, I draw."

Astral looked at Yuma's hand, "I summon Gogogo Golem in defense mode."

Smart move because Gogogo Golem can avoid being destroyed once per turn, too bad Yuma didn't listen to Astral.

"That is such a boring move! I say Yuma attacks!" Astrid grinned.

"Shut it, I summon Gogogo Golem (4/1800/1500) in attack mode." Yuma stated as a huge pillar of rock rose from the ground.

"1800 attack points? That's not enough to defeat that dragon." Astral commented.

"Thank you Captain Obvious, so I activate Blustering Winds to increase Gogogo Golem's attack by 1000, making it 2800 until next turn." Yuma explained.

Tori started to cheer and so did I, "Alright Yuma!"

"Now attack Leviathan Dragon!" Yuma yelled as Gogogo Golem ran towards Shark's monster and a gust of wind hit Shark.

**Yuma: 1000**

**Shark: 3700**

"Yes!" I screamed in pure delight as I danced with Tori.

"Shark's monster is toast and he took a hit to his life-points!" Yuma cheered.

Astral had a face like stone, "Turn around."

Astrid nearly fell when she saw the monster still standing, "That makes no sense!"

"Yuma destroyed that thing, so why's it still standing?" Tori started to shake Bronk.

"What gives? I took down that monster fair and square!" Yuma snarled.

"Fraid not, Number monsters can only be defeated by another Number monster." Shark stated.

Yuma took a few steps back, "But I don't have Number monsters."

"So that dragon is on the field for good? This is big time bad!" Bronk remarked.

"What am I gonna do?" Yuma wailed, "If I can't beat Shark's monster, how can I beat Shark?"

"By giving him all you got and pounding him into next week!" Astrid shouted.

"Seriously, he needs to think his move over." I replied.

"You better think of something, because Shark looks like he's ready to attack." Astral commented, "Shark is gearing up to attack, you better think of something or you're through."

Yuma started to stamp his feet, "I know that! But what can I do?"

"Observation number one, this particular human's Dueling skills are less than skillfull." Astral said.

I burst out laughing, "He's gotcha there Yuma!"

"Oh, oh, let me try! Observation number one, Astral's communication skills could do with some work." Astrid cackled like a witch.

"That's not true!" Yuma snapped at Astral, "Actually they kinda are."

Astral nearly smiled, "That is the first correct thing you've said all duel."

Yuma just swatted Astral away, "No hard feelings then, wait what?" Yuma finally realised what Astral said.

Shark just growled, "It's my turn now, I draw. I summon Drill Barnacle (3/300/0) in attack mode."

A grey piece of barnacle with purple drills appeared.

"Now I detach another Overlay Unit in order for my dragon to gain another 500 attack points which makes its 3000. Now attack Gogogo Golem!" Shark commanded as his dragon ate another stream of light and blew blue fire at Gogogo Golem.

**Yuma: 800**

**Shark: 3700**

Great, my brother is losing the duel and I'm going to lose my deck. Yuma better start listening to Astral or I'm going to kill him.

"Yuma Tsukumo, unless you win this duel I'm going to tell Kari that you've been dueling and we both know how she hates you dueling!" I shouted at him.

Yuma instantly looked more motivated, "I got it, I got it."

"Its time for my Drill Barnacle to dig in by attacking you directly," Shark instructed.

Drill Barnacle charged forward and attacked Yuma.

**Yuma: 500**

**Shark: 3700**

"You know, Yuma isn't a really good duelist." Astrid pointed out.

I looked over to her, "Nah, ya think (?)"

"For your information, did you know that Gogogo Golem has an effect which prevents it from being destroyed by battle once per turn as long as it's in defense mode? If you put it in defense like I said, this wouldn't be happening," Astral told Yuma.

"Be quiet!" Yuma shouted.

I suddenly started to violently cough which was strange as I felt fine a few minutes ago. I dismissed the thought when I saw Astral starting to fade which caused Astrid to look concerned.

"My life force seems to be depleting," Astral commented before his eyes widened, "of course! Number cards are pieces of my memory and Numbers are special cards, even among Xyz Monsters because not only they cannot be defeated by cards of this world, the one who wins in a fight between Numbers absorbs the loser's Number. Yuma unless you win, I'll be wiped from this world."

"But why is Astrid okay?" I asked.

"Because I'm awesome," She started to fly around like a bird.

Can't she take anything seriously? Her own brother is going to die!

"You better win this duel." Astral stated.

"What do you think I've been trying to do?" Yuma retorted.

Yuma and Astral began to converse when Shark told us something chilling, "Did I mention that Drill Barnacle gains 1000 attack points when it inflicts battle damage? Plus it can attack directly so next turn your toast."

"Now is the perfect time to panic!" I started to shake Bronk while screaming.

Yuma and Astral started to argue again and I was pretty much running around like a headless chicken. We're all doomed! Plus it didn't help that I was hacking every five seconds, why do I feel so ill?

"Stop talking and duel!" Shark demanded.

"Butt out!" Yuma screeched.

"Of what," Shark asked.

"My talk with my invisible friend," Yuma answered.

At this rate he'll be put in a mental asylum before this duel is over.

"You know what else is going to be invisible? Your life-points," Shark did have a pretty good point.

"Nope, still there." Even near the end, Yuma was strong.

"But not next turn, unless you listen to me for dueling advice." Astral commented.

Why couldn't Yuma see Astral was right? He keeps making dumb mistakes because he doesn't want to admit that Astral is right.

"Go away! I don't need your help!" Yuma started to act like a spaz.

"On your next turn you need a card that lets you special summon a monster." Astral announced.

_So it all comes down to this draw_, I thought before coughing again.

"I draw for the sake of mine and Yumi's deck." Yuma drew the card and Astral looked pleased.

"Monster Reborn, it looks like fate hasn't abandoned me yet." He mused before Yuma shouted that he was the one who drew it.

"Yeah, give him a break Astral." Astrid appeared next to Astral and pulled his cheeks.

"I summon Ganbara Knight (4/0/1900) in attack mode." A red and yellow armoured knight jumped from the sky with two shields.

"Yumaaa, it has 0 attack points!" Bronk pointed out.

"What?" Yuma looked shocked at his stupid move.

"Just give up Yuma, you can't win." Shark laughed.

"Evil, Yuma will beat you and he will win my deck back!" I said before coughing again.

"I'll never give up because I'm feeling the flow, which means I'll fight until the very end!" Yuma exclaimed.

"Feeling the flow?" Astral asked.

"That's right, feeling the flow is like my catchphrase. It means doing what can't be done." He explained, "Like right now, because I'm finding a way to win."

"You're wrong." Shark scowled.

Eesh, somebody woke up on the wrong side of bed this morning.

"The only thing you'll find Yuma, is the bitter taste of disappointment cause I have two monsters on the field and you only have one with zero attack points."

Even when the situation seems hopeless, you have to fight until the very end. Yuma moaned with disappointment until Astral reassured him.

"Bring back Gagaga Magician with Monster Reborn, it's the only way!" Astral stated in an urgent tone.

"Um..."

"You must trust me, please!"

It must be really urgent if Astral is practically begging Yuma.

"Well I was going to do that anyway. I activate Monster Reborn and bring back Gagaga Magician." Yuma's gothic magician reappeared.

"So what, 1500 attack points aren't a threat to me." Shark shrugged.

Yuma started to doubt himself but I trusted Astral, "The stage has been set, overlay level 4 Gagaga Magician and Ganbara Knight."

I didn't get that at all, Yuma doesn't have an XYZ monster.

"What is Astral thinking?" I murmured.

Astrid crept up behind me, "Trust Astral, he knows what he's doing."

"Why doesn't that make me feel better?" I wondered.

Yuma's extra deck started to glow as he pulled a card out, "It's an XYZ monster, but I can't make out what it says."

"I can, its Number 39: Utopia." Astral admitted.

A Numbers card, how did Yuma get one?

"I overlay level 4 magician and knight to do a little Xyz summon." Yuma grinned as his two monsters turned into streams of light, "Rise up Number 39: Utopia (4/2500/2000)!" Astral and Yuma shouted together.

A red '39' appeared on a piece of white armour. A gold and white spiral twirled in the middle of the field before becoming a winged knight with two streams of light encircling him.

"Time to take out Shark's monster Utopia," Astral and Yuma commanded, "attack Drill Barnacle!"

Utopia grabbed his golden sword and got ready to attack, "Go with Rising Sun Slash!"

Utopia slashed and digitised Drill Barnacle which caused Shark to hit the ground.

**Yuma: 500**

**Shark: 2500**

"You just got number crunched." Yuma whooped.

Astral still looked serious, "Now its time to introduce Utopia to Leviathan Dragon."

"Go Yuma! You can win this!" Astrid started to do a funny dance.

Bronk and Tori looked at me with a worried expression on their faces as I suddenly burst into laughter.

"Another Number monster," Bronk stated.

"I never knew Yuma had this card." Tori added.

Neither did I, but I think Astral has something to do with this.

"All right Shark, I end my turn." Yuma finished, "How cool am I?"

"Yuma! Don't celebrate yet!" I screeched.

But Yuma continued to ignore me, "I made a Xyz summon, Bronk, Tori, Yumi, please tell me you saw that."

Tori placed her hand on her hips, "Yeah we saw it."

"I'm so feeling the flow right now." Yuma's eyes started to glitter with excitement.

"That's great but Utopia is still weaker than Leviathan Dragon." I pointed out.

Sometimes I wonder how we can be related.

"Oh man!"

"It's going to get a lot worse because it's my turn! I activate the spell card Surface which lets me special summon a water monster from my graveyard in defense mode and I choose Big Jaws (3/1800/300)." Shark jeered.

A vortex of water appeared on the field and the familiar metallic shark monster appeared.

"But he won't be around for long because I tribute summon him to summon Jawsman (6/2600/1600) in attack mode."

"Tribute summon?" Tori looked confused.

Bronk explained that a tribute summon was when you sacrificed a monster to summon a stronger one.

A giant purple monster with several shark mouths appeared. I jumped into Bronk's arms because it was really scary. Stupid Augmented Reality, making monsters look too real!

"Don't me such a baby, it's not real!" Astrid laughed.

"Now Jawsman gains 300 attack points for every other water monster on the field beside him and that's what Leviathan Dragon is." Shark laughed.

"That makes him 2900!" Tori exclaimed.

"Now to put them to good use, Leviathan Dragon will attack Utopia!" Shark commanded.

His dragon flew over to Utopia and Yuma looked terrified until Astral told him that by detaching an Overlay Unit, Utopia could negate the attack. Utopia could negate the attack.

"I detach an Overlay Unit to negate your dragons attack!" Yuma said.

Utopia started to turn itself into a big shield, "Go Light Wing Shield!"

"All you did was bought yourself some extra time!" Shark sneered.

Yuma looked sad, "Yeah, I guess Shark has a point."

"Plus you only have one Overlay Unit left, so when it's gone, so are your life-points." He added as Jawsman attacked.

Astral wanted him to use an Overlay Unit which was stupid because Numbers couldn't be destroyed by a non Number card and Yuma's face-down might be helpful.

"I play the trap Bye Bye Damage which means you take the same battle damage as I do, only double!" Yuma grinned.

**Yuma: 100**

**Shark: 1700**

Astral looked annoyed, but couldn't he see that Yuma had made a good move.

"Don't feel so bad Yumi, Astral thinks that you can only do things his way." Astrid commented.

My coughing took a turn for the worst and my head started to hurt, why is this happening?

"Yuma's down to his last 100 life-points." Tori murmured.

"Thanks for playing that trap Yuma because now I can play mine, Explosive Urchin because on my next turn, you'll be losing 1000 life-points." Shark explained as the field turned into a land mine.

Yuma only has next turn to win this duel! Or else Astral will be gone!

"Yumi, are you alright?" Bronk asked.

"Yeah, you've been coughing like a maniac." Tori looked very concerned.

"I'm fi-" froze on my lips as I felt another cough coming up, but when I removed my hand, it was speckled with _blood._

Tori gasped, "You're not fine! You need to go to the hospital!"

I admit, I was very tempted to leave but I needed to see Yuma win this duel.

"I'll go when Yuma wins." I replied in a weak voice.

Astrid appeared right next to me, "Hang on."

"Face it Yuma, you've lost." Shark yelled.

"Not yet," Yuma did several back flips, "cause I'm feeling the flow! Now you're going to feel the sting of defea-ahh!" Yuma fell on the floor.

"Now Utopia will attack Leviathan Dragon but now I'll remove its last overlay unit to negate its attack." Yuma grinned.

Everybody gasped, "What!"

"Why would you negate your own attack? You're a duel fool!" Shark rolled his eyes.

"I'll show you because I activate Double or Nothing! Basically if my monsters attack is negated, it can attack again with double its attack points, which means he now has 5000 attack points." Yuma explained.

That was pure genius! That was my twin, no, _that_ was my other half.

Utopia had two swords in its hands and flew over to Leviathan Dragon before slashing it.

**Yuma: 100**

**Shark: 0**

**WIN: Yuma**

Shark was now lying down on his back, moaning.

"Did I...win?" Yuma looked surprised, along with Bronk and Tori.

"All right, he won!" Tori and Bronk both started to celebrate with Yuma.

I on the other hand was still kneeling on the floor, I still felt very weak but I was happy that Yuma won. Astrid went over to Astral and they both had a brotherly sisterly moment.

Shark's lackeys were cowering behind Shark, "Shark lost to that nobody? Let's ditch this dork!"

Poor Shark, the minute he loses a duel is when all his 'friends' desert him. Maybe I could become his friend? Astral stretched his hand out which caused a card to fly from Shark's chest into his hand. The yellow '17' disappeared from Shark's hand.

Suddenly Astral and Astral both grew brightly and they had a worried look on their faces. Something tells me that this is just the beginning, but whatever happens, we _will_ be ready. Astral and Astrid must be here for a reason and these Number cards seem to be incredibly dangerous. Plus this stupid bracelet reappeared and it won't come off!

"I can't believe I lost." Shark took off his Duel Gazer as he looked over to Yuma.

I don't know why, but I feel sorry for Shark. Kari always did tell me that my ability to emphasize with everybody, would always be my downfall and I fear that she's right.

Shark walked over to Yuma and handed him my deck, "We...had a...deal."

Shark looked like he was really sad which gave me the urge to hug him and tell him that everything would be alright. Still, it's nice to see that Shark is a man of his word and not one of those losers who try to make a run for it instead of holding up their end of the deal.

"Thank you, and thank you for keeping your word." Yuma answered as he handed me back my deck.

"You're a good duelist." Shark turned away with a solemn look on his face, "I'll see you around." He started to walk away but I felt that there more needed to be said.

"Maybe one day we can duel again Sharky boy and I'll beat your ass right out of the water. Pun fully intended." I laughed.

Shark stopped and then continued without a word, I wonder if he stopped to smile and consider my offer. Hopefully this isn't the last we'll see of him because life seems more interesting with Shark around.

"I heard that Yumi and what do you mean by more 'interesting'?" Astrid asked as she snuck up behind me.

I don't know why but I started to blush, "And why has your face gone red, Yumi!"

"Leave me alone Astrid!" I tried to throttle her but my hands kept passing right through her.

At this rate I'll kill Astrid before today is over.

* * *

**So does Yumi have a little crush on Shark? What do you guys think?**

**Astrid: I thought you said I was voted out.**

**I lied, 12 people wanted you in and 1 person didn't want you in, I'm not going to name names.**

**Yumi: *cough Sanokal cough***

**Well I did say I wasn't going to name names, I see you're out of the emo corner Yumi.**

**Yumi: Well I got my deck back and my bracelet back so I'm happyyyyyyy!**

**Now question time, why can't Yumi take her bracelet off? Why did Yumi act really sick when Yuma was losing? Anyway, I'm hosting a little competition. Basically one person can submit an OC to this story...**

**Yuma: That sounds great! Somebody new to duel!**

**...but the catch is that YOU the readers have to create a signature Numbers card for Yumi. Yuma has Number 39: Utopia and Shark later has Number 32: Shark Drake, so therefore Yumi needs a Number card.**

**Here are the restrictions, it has to be a feasible effect and the monster needs to have the colours of violet and indigo. Besides that, everything else goes and I hope you guys have fun with this idea.**

**Now review and you'll get to have an autograph from either Astral or Astrid.**

**Astral: What's an autograph?**

**Basically you write on this piece of paper.**

**Astral: You humans are very strange, but I'll allow it.**

**Astrid: This is what's gonna make me famous. Now review and enter the competition!**


	4. Number 34: TerrorByte Part 1

**All right bitches, thanks for reviewing the last three chapters :D**

**Yumi: Why did you call your devoted fans, bitches?**

**I'm trying to be gangsta, innit blud?**

**Yuma: No, just no. You're not Jaden Yuki.**

**Jaden: Yeah, wait what? I'm not part of Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal! It's Yu-Gi-Oh! GX ftw!**

**Go away Jaden! Anyway the song of this chapter is 'Sweet Dreams' by The Eurythmics. Also chapter 3 received 16 reviews! **

**Astrid: Really? So this story has become a huge hit?**

**You said it Astrid, now Astral its time for the disclaimer!**

**Astral: China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal and if she did, Astrid and Yumi would have been made canon characters. Observation 4, reviews seem to encourage Fanfiction writers to update more often.**

* * *

**Last chapter summary: **Yuma and Shark dueled and surprisingly Yuma won! Unfortunately Yuma and Yumi have both acquired these annoying 'spirits' called Astral and Astrid, as well as being exposed to the 'Number' cards. Yumi also can't remove her mums bracelet from her wrist which is really annoying her. Plus when Yuma was losing his duel against Shark, Yumi mysteriously got ill until Yuma won.

Ever since Yuma beat Shark, nobody has seen him which is really worrying me because I think I'm developing some kind of 'feelings' for him. I hope that it's in the 'friend' type of way, instead of the 'romantic' type of way. I mean, if I fell in love with him there would be too many complications. He's difficult to get along with and I'm cheerful. I want to be his friend, but he's too used to being on his own. Maybe if I dueled him, I could get him to reveal his true self...

On another note, Astral and Astrid won't leave us alone! They follow us everywhere, to school, to the playground and even to the locker rooms! They have gotta go! Yuma, Tori, Bronk and I were all walking home from school, the sun was beginning to set and Yuma was having an argument with Astral.

Unlike Yuma and Astral, I and Astrid have a much more convenient arrangement. Basically I leave her alone and she'll leave me alone, simple right? Currently Astrid was flying around, while Astral was crossed his arms across his chest while floating above the ground.

"Stop following me!" Yuma shouted at Astral.

"I can't leave; I still need to regain my memories and the only way I can do that is if we collect all the Number cards." Astral explained.

I feel for Astral and Astrid, I mean imagine coming to a strange new place where you can't remember anything. Still, at least they have each other which is important because they're family. It's a shame Yuma can't see things from my perspective; otherwise he may be more sympathetic towards Astral.

"You mean I have to collect the Number cards!" Yuma stated in an angry tone of voice.

Astrid stopped flying and stood next to Yuma, "Don't be silly, you can't collect 98 Number cards on your own. Yumi will help you."

I nearly tripped once I heard Astrid, "What? I can't help Yuma!"

Don't get me wrong, I want to help Yuma because his dueling skills can be quite...reckless, but I don't have any Number cards.

"And why not," Yuma demanded.

"I don't have any Number cards, genius. You're so lucky because you have Utopia and Leviathan Dragon. What do I have?" I sighed sadly.

Astrid started to scratch her head before snapping her fingers, "I got it! Yuma discovered Utopia during his duel with Shark when he was losing, right?"

"Yes..." I answered; I wasn't really sure where Astrid was going with this idea.

"Well how about you duel somebody with a Number card and maybe when you're losing the duel, your Number card will appear!" Astrid grinned at her 'brilliant' idea.

"That's a brilliant idea (!)." I replied with a sarcastic tone.

Astrid thought I was being serious, "Really?"

"No! It's the worst idea I've ever heard!" I shouted at her.

Sometimes I wonder if Astrid realises how dangerous Number cards are. When Yuma dueled Shark, Yuma was left in a really shape and I don't want that to happen to me.

"So why did you say it was a good idea?" Astral asked me, with a confused look on his face.

"It's called sarcasm!" Yuma exclaimed.

Astrid and Astral stopped, "What's sarcasm?" They asked.

Yuma and I both face palmed, "Basically you use irony to mock somebody. Like you say one thing but you don't mean it." I explained.

"What's irony?"

"Stop asking all these questions!" Yuma shouted at them.

Its like Astral and Astrid are newborn babies who feel the need to question everything.

"Observation 2, when asked to do something, humans behave erratically." Astral commented.

Astrid hit Astral on his head, "Don't use such big words big brother. Observation 2, Astral likes to use big words to prove his superiority."

I just love Astrid and Astral's relationship, Astrid gets to mess around with Astral and he doesn't mind because they are siblings. Even when Astrid is mocking him (like right now).

Yuma grinned at Astrid, "High five, I totally agree with you."

"What's a high five?" Astrid asked with a curious look.

"A high five is when you hold out your hand and slap the other persons hand with it." Yuma explained.

Astrid seemed to have misinterpreted it because she slapped the back of Astral's hands, "Oww! Why would you do that?" Astral demanded while he rubbed his hands in an attempt to soothe them.

Astrid made her face go all innocent, "But big brother, I was only just 'high fiving' you."

And this is why Yuma shouldn't become a teacher, God only knows what would happen if Astral and Astrid found out about sex. I mean imagine this, we're having sex education and Astrid and Astral get confused on what is 'sex'. Hopefully that'll never happen because if Yuma tries to explain that to them...well let's just hope that day will never come.

Suddenly I heard an anguished scream, it sounded like Kari! We all ran into the house and slammed the door to Kari's room open.

"What's going on Kari?" Yuma asked.

Every computer screen in her room was red with 'ERROR' written on it. I had a pretty good idea of what had happened, but it was always good to be 100% certain.

"My research...my transcripts...my big scoop, some kind of bug just wiped out my computer." Kari stated.

She sounded pretty calm which was a bad sign because in approximately ten seconds, prepare yourself for the biggest blow out ever.

"Okay, let's try to stay calm." I tried to reassure Kari.

"Deadline is tomorrow." She cried.

"Mount Kari is about to blow." Yuma admitted.

Time to leave!

"You might wanna get out of here." Tori informed us.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" I exclaimed as I pushed Bronk out of the way.

We all piled out of the room, but we were too late.

"Hey, you two, go find me another scoop!" Kari roared, "Or else!"

"Oh come on!" I wailed.

You get home from school and you're meant to relax, but noooo. When you live with Kari, you're forced to go out searching for scoops. Its people like Kari that ruin people's childhoods.

"What's a 'scoop'?" Astral asked, as we all made our way out of the house.

"A scoop is basically an important piece of information that reporters can report on." I explained.

Yuma looked annoyed at me, "Don't talk to them! Maybe if we ignore them, they'll go away."

Seriously, hasn't Yuma listened to what Astral said? Unless we work with them, then they're here to stay.

"Why hasn't traffic moved for like ten minutes?" I asked Yuma in an attempt to distract him.

All of the highways were clogged up with traffic and even Monorail wasn't moving.

"Nothing's moving!" Bronk exclaimed, "Look at the Monorail!"

"Something's not right." Tori commented as the Vending Machine started to spit out juices and snacks.

Even though I don't believe in stealing, this opportunity is far too great. I opened my school bag and started to take a few of my favourite snacks.

"Great idea Yumi," Yuma grinned as he took a large armful.

The only one who seemed to hate the idea was Tori, "Put those back! You didn't pay for them!"

Suddenly a Litterbot went over to Yuma, "Trash identified." It stated before opening itself and using its mechanical arms to dump Yuma in headfirst.

"Let me out of here!" Yuma demanded while he started to wriggle himself out.

What is going on? Why is every machine going loco today?

* * *

Eventually we were able to get Yuma out but it was already night-time.

"Night Tori, night Bronk," I hugged both of them before walking back home.

"Hey! You forgot me!" Yuma exclaimed as he ran up to me.

I instantly covered my nose, "No I didn't, you stink! Stay away from me."

He smelt like rotten eggs and sour milk, which wasn't a very pleasant smell. Yuma instantly started to sniff himself before gagging, "Stupid Litterbot." He grumbled before running off home; hopefully to take a shower.

By the time the local news had come on, Yuma, Grandma, Kari and I were all at the dining table, ready to eat dinner.

"In other news today, multiple people started to file reports-"The anchor woman announced before Kari turned the TV off. Kari was still depressed at the loss of her scoop, so she was now moping.

"I don't want to hear about people filing reports." She wailed.

"Thanks for the food, Grandma." Yuma and I chirped before picking up our chopsticks.

"Why did my computer trash my report?" Kari moaned.

I felt sorry for Kari because it took her over a week to find out that the local ice-cream shop was being used as a front for a criminal organisation.

"Speaking of trash, one of those Litterbots scooped me out today." Yuma announced in a happyish tone of voice.

"The same thing happened to me." Grandma replied.

Surprisingly Kari lifted her head up at that piece of news. Uh oh, I don't like the looks of this.

"Wait, wait, what?" Kari asked with her tear filled eyes.

Yuma was happy to explain because he was glad that Kari was paying attention to him, "Downtown was crazy today. The traffic lights kept flickering and even the Monorail stopped."

"Even the Vending Machines spat out free food." I added.

I am not going to be left out of this conversation.

"Thankfully, the radio said everything went back to normal." Grandma smiled.

"So I'm not the only one whose computer got wiped out?" Kari asked.

I rolled my eyes, "Uh no, what makes you so special?"

Kari took that moment to slap me on the head, which caused me to fall off my chair.

"Be serious Yumi, something stinks!" Kari snarled.

Yuma and Grandma started to sniff their armpits while I felt dazed.

"Are you alright Yumi?" Astrid asked.

I just ignored her and started to rub my head, Kari's slaps really pack a punch.

"Not you guys! I smell a good story brewing! I've gotta replenish my energy and get cracking!" Kari picked up her chopsticks and in a flash, she was holding a big piece of fish.

It looked really familiar and once I got back on my chair, I realised why.

"Hey! That's mine!" I exclaimed.

Kari took no notice as she nibbled it at an inhuman speed; once she was down she threw the bone in my face and ran off.

"Fish thief," I shouted as I picked up my chopsticks and ate the rest of my food.

"So this is how humans replenish their energy." Astral mused.

Astrid took no notice as she was far more interested at examining the fish skeleton.

* * *

Once everybody had finished dinner, we all had to go to bed. Yuma went to the toilet to take his nightly 'dump'. It's a good thing I always use the toilet before Yuma uses it, because the stench is just unbearable. I went to say goodnight to Yuma, but he was still in the toilet with Astral outside the door, questioning him.

"So why can't I come inside the room while you're in there?" Astral asked.

Yuma started to grunt, "Because if you see me 'releasing' energy, I'll die!"

"Observation 3, humans must eat and release energy in endless combination. However, they will die the moment anyone sees them doing this." Astral noted.

Its official, Yuma is the worst teacher in the world and he isn't taking Astral seriously.

"My turn, my turn," Astrid screeched, "Observation 3, Astral likes to make observations of everything to prove how smart he is."

Astrid also doesn't take anything seriously, I mean she treats Astral the same as Yuma but at least she has an excuse.

"Can we not get along?" I shouted.

"What?" Astrid asked.

"Its night time, I'm trying to sleep and you two are keeping me up!" I explained.

Astrid started to look very sincere, "I'm sorry Yumi, why don't you go to sleep and I'll keep an eye on these two."

I almost bought it, almost.

"Drop the act Astrid, I'm not buying it." I replied.

"It was worth a shot." She pouted.

"I don't understand how humans can work in a perfect combination, but Yuma's dueling skills are incompetent." Astral commented.

"What did you say?" Yuma asked before flushing the toilet and unlocking the door.

"You are an unskilled duelist." Astral shrugged.

By this point I was covering my nose with the hem of my shirt, stupid toilet stinking up the house.

"Shut up! Nobody is perfect! Mistakes are what define us!" Yuma explained.

Astral's face looked more serious, "I can't afford to fail; failure is not an option for me or Astrid."

Yuma covered his face with his hands, "But you can't achieve anything if you're afraid to fail! My dad says that and my dad is awesome, so there." On that last note, Yuma stormed off.

Dad, I miss him so much. Yuma is right thought, at times our dad can act like a fruit loop, but he has his wise moments.

"Well goodnight you guys, I'm off to hit the hay." I yawned.

"What do you mean by 'hitting the hay'?" Astral asked.

"And what is 'hay'?" Astrid asked.

I face palmed, this is going to be a long night.

* * *

"Yumaaaaaaa, wake up!" I hit Yuma's hammock which caused him to fall on the floor.

It was 8:00am and I was already dressed for school, while Yuma wasn't. Once Yuma hit the ground, he instantly woke up.

"Oh no, late again," He groaned as he pulled himself off the floor.

Once Yuma was ready, we immediately left the house. But it wasn't until we arrived at the school gates, I noticed that Astrid was here but Astral was _missing_.

_Where is Astral_, I thought.

"Yuma, Astrid, where's Astral?" I asked them.

They both turned around and when they couldn't see Astral, they both cheered.

"Woo hoo! No Astral!"

I hit both of them in the stomachs (my hand passed though Astrid's), "Oww!" Yuma moaned.

"Astrid, he's your brother! Yuma, Astral is counting on you to help him!" I pointed out.

These two are too insensitive sometimes.

"But without Astral, I can finally move on with my life." Yuma stated.

"No Astral means I can run things my way." Astrid grinned.

I stomped my feet, "Whatever, let's just go inside."

We all ran into Mr. Kay's classroom for our maths lesson. Except all of the computers had red screens with the word 'ERROR' on it, looks like that virus is still affecting all of the computer systems.

"Well class, today we were going to learn about Quadratic Equations and I know you were all looking forward to that. But unfortunately our system is still down due to yesterday's virus, extra credit to anybody who can find out about the source of yesterday's virus-"Mr Kay hadn't even finished his sentence when Caswell shot his hand up.

Caswell was basically the class nerd. His hair was blue it was in an ugly bowl style haircut with a huge piece of his fringe sticking out, he had fair skin, green eyes and his uniform was always clean and tidy.

"Excuse me, Mr. Kay," Caswell began as he got up and walked to the front of the classroom, "but I can take this one."

"You know I was being sarcastic, Caswell." Mr. Kay stated before Caswell stopped beside him.

"All right simpletons, listen up because this may be hard for you guys to understand." Caswell smirked.

Did I mention that he thought he was smarter than everybody else?

"Yesterday's incident was caused by a virus, planted in the cities grid system by a hacker. But, in the end by-"Yuma interrupted him which made me assign with relief.

Caswell's speech making skills could do with some more work.

"Hey! Instead of talking about mathy stuff, let's have a duel tournament!" Yuma grinned.

Astrid started to clap, "Brilliant idea Yuma!"

"Well that's not on the curriculum, but I'll allow it." Mr. Kay smiled.

And that's why he's the coolest teacher in the school, "I'm so feeling the flow!" Yuma cheered, along with the rest of the class.

That's when I noticed that Caswell was the only person who wasn't smiling. Did I forget to mention that Caswell is the biggest attention hog ever?

"Yuma! I challenge you to a duel right now!" Caswell snarled.

Yuma's smile widened, "Get set to get decked!"

Yuma threw his touch screen in the air before attaching it to his Duel Disk.

"Duel Disk, go!" Yuma shouted before throwing his Duel Gazer in the air.

"Duel Gazer, let's roll!" Yuma put his Duel Gazer on.

The rest of the class put their own Duel Gazers on in order to watch the duel.

"Duel interface set!" Yuma and Caswell both shouted as the classroom was briefly covered in numbers before turning back to normal.

"Augmented Reality, vision link established."

**Caswell: 4000  
Yuma: 4000**

****"Go Yuma!" I cheered.

"Go show him what you're made of, Yuma!" Tori exclaimed.

Yuma is probably going to lose because Astral isn't here to help him, but as long as Yuma has Utopia, he should win.

"What are you made of Yuma?" Caswell jeered, "I heard you beat Shark the other day."

Yuma couldn't help but grin at that statement, "Well then you heard the truth."

Caswell looked annoyed, "I don't believe you, everybody knows that Shark is the best duelist around here."

"Believe it Caswell, its true." Bronk replied in a triumphant tone.

"Yeah, we saw it with our own eyes." I added.

Caswell chuckled, "Then that means if I beat Yuma, then I'm the best duelist around here!"

"What?" Yuma asked.

Caswell has a really good point; if Yuma is good enough to beat Shark then he takes Shark's title of best duelist in school. This means that the next person, who beats Yuma, takes the title of best duelist in school because they were good enough to beat the last person who beat the person before that. It's really not as confusing as it sounds.

"Basically beating you means that I'm the best duelist in school," Caswell explained.

"Lies," Astrid exclaimed.

"I'm not sure I buy that Caswell." Yuma stated, "But that won't be enough to save you from my awesome Number car-ahhh!"

Yuma started to freak out and kept looking at his extra deck, "Where did my Number card go?"

I gasped, he _lost_ his Number cards? He does realise how important they are right?

"What's the matter, are you feeling the pressure already?" Caswell asked as he drew his sixth card.

"Wait a second, just hang on! I'm not ready!" Yuma wailed.

To put it bluntly, this duel was definitely not one of his best moments.

**Caswell: 4000  
Yuma: 100**

Yuma had nothing on his field while Caswell had Crashbug Y (3/1400/1600) and Crashbug (1/100/100) on his side of the field.

"I summon Crashbug X (3/0/2000) and equip him with Crashbug Rage. Now for every 'Crashbug' monster on the field, it gains 100 attack points and since I have three, his new attack is 300. Now Crashbug X, attack Yuma directly," Caswell commanded.

A small monster appeared; it had a young boy's body with a small bomb head. It jumped up and threw electricity at Yuma.

**Caswell: 4000  
Yuma: 0**

"What happened?" Yuma groaned.

Tori, Bronk, Astrid and I covered our faces. That was really embarrassing; Yuma actually needs to improve his dueling.

"Ha! I bested you in one move!" Caswell gloated, "You never had a chance! In the end, somebody as inexperienced as you never had a chance against a brilliant strategist as me!"

"What did you call me?" Yuma growled.

"Now, now, no need to gloat Caswell." Mr. Kay announced as he walked over to Caswell, "Dueling is a lot like life, sometimes things go as we planned. Other times we make mistakes and we get frustrated. In fact, give your failures to Crashbug who lives off by eating his bug friends. It's also said that if Crashbug is seen in his full moon appearance, everybody who sees him will forever live in happiness. Its fine you lost Yuma, as long as you learn from your mistakes."

The entire class listened in silence to everything Mr. Kay said; I mean it was just so inspiring.

"Don't worry Mr. Kay, I'll never give up." Yuma agreed.

* * *

Once the school day was over, Yuma wouldn't stop going on about how awesome Mr. Kay is.

"Mr. Kay isn't just awesome at maths; he's also an awesome guy! I wanna be just like him when I grow up." Yuma sighed.

I nodded in agreement, "You said it Yu-"

Suddenly a familiar looking red card pulled up by the curb, Kari's head popped out and she was wearing black sunglasses. Oh you have got to be kidding me, who does she think she is, a spy?

"Hello Yumi and Yuma, hop in." Kari instructed.

Yuma and I both looked at each other, when Kari wanted us to do something, it was best not to argue. We all piled into the car and Kari immediately started to drive.

"After doing some research, I realised something." Kari began.

"That you need some love in your life?" I asked.

I believe that if Kari had a boyfriend, she would be spending all of her free time with him, instead of forcing Yuma and I to look for some scoops.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that. If the virus lasted any longer, the entire city would be thrown into panic, the banks' data would be erased and rewritten and the hospital would lose all its data." Kari explained.

We all gasped, "But who would do such a thing?" Tori asked.

"This is where it really gets interesting; somebody transferred the virus using a computer at your school." Kari answered.

The car came to a halt and I realised that we were outside of our school, this cannot be good.

"I need you three to stake out your schools library because I think the culprit will appear." Kari had just confirmed my suspicions.

"Noooooooo," I wailed.

Stakeouts are horrible! It's not all fun and games, like the TV portrays it.

Tori looked at me oddly, "What's wrong with you? A stakeout sounds exciting."

"Why do we have to do it?" Yuma moaned.

"Because my article was ruined by the virus and once I find the culprit, I'll karate chop them until they're blue in the face!" Kari hissed, "Now get out!"

And with that, we were pushed out of the car as Kari drove away. Once again, Kari has ruined my day with her stupid job!

Once we all walked into the school library, we hid behind a bookcase.

"What's a library?" Astrid asked as she flew around the bookcases.

"It's a place where you read books? I whispered.

"Why are you talking quietly?" Astrid asked.

"Because you're meant to talk quietly in a library," I explained.

"Shhhhh," Tori and Yuma shushed me.

I gave Astrid my best look of death; she ended up hiding in a bookshelf. _Good, maybe now we'll be able to focus on the task at hand. _I thought.

* * *

I don't know how long we were stuck in the library because I fell asleep halfway. However, Tori shook me awake when she noticed some suspicious activity. Caswell was walking up to a computer with a flash drive!

Suddenly Caswell freaked out as his computer got infected with Crashbug's; we revealed our location as we ran up to him.

"Ha! Caught you red handed!" Yuma exclaimed as he grabbed Caswell's shoulder.

"I'm not doing anything! I'm being used!" Caswell moaned as he started to type on the computer's keyboard.

"Liar, you're the one who's responsible for the virus!" I pointed at him.

Caswell ignored me as he started to do some technological stuff, "Actually using my intellect, I was able to trace the virus to this computer and I was hoping to hack into the system to find out who's responsible for the virus. But this guy is smart because he left a virus bomb in case somebody was trying to him."

"You know, that actually makes quite a lot of sense." I told Caswell.

"Thank you and yes! Here's the location of our culprit." Caswell said before standing up.

"What are you guys waiting for? Let's go!" Yuma started to run so we all followed him.

I phoned Kari using my Duel Gazer, "Kari, good news is we found out where the culprit is."

"What? That's so dangerous!" Kari shouted at me.

"You think that's bad? Caswell triggered a bomb that you need to deactivate before it spreads to the city's mainframe!" I explained.

"What? All right, but be careful!" She sighed before hanging up.

"We're here." Caswell announced as we stopped outside of a tall building.

"Let me guess, the culprit is inside?" I asked in a sarcastic tone of voice.

"Why yes." Caswell replied.

"Whatever, let's go!" Yuma pushed us all inside the elevator.

After a few seconds, we had reached the top of the building and there was definitely somebody hiding in the shadows.

"Well done, I see everything went according to plan." The stranger sneered.

We all gasped because of how familiar the voice sounded. Oh no, please, anybody but him. The mystery man revealed himself and confirmed my suspicions. It was Mr. Kay!

"Isn't that your maths teacher?" Astrid asked but I ignored her.

"Mr. Kay? What are you doing here?" Yuma asked.

He looked different and not just because he wasn't wearing his glasses.

"I'm the one who is responsible for the virus and I'll have to thank Caswell for his help; after all he was the one who triggered my bomb, which you have only thirty minutes to deactivate!" Mr. Kay laughed.

Caswell's face paled, "But that would make me an accomplice!"

"Exactly my dear boy," Mr. Kay started to loosen his neck tie which revealed the number '34' on it.

"That's a Number mark!" Astrid shrieked, "Where's Astral when you need him?"

"We don't need Astral, I can duel Mr. Kay." Yuma stepped forward before I blocked him with my hand.

"Yumi, what are you doing?" Yuma asked.

"Yuma, you can't duel Mr. Kay without your Number card." I answered.

"Yeah, but you don't have a Numbers card!" Yuma exclaimed.

Yuma has a good point, but neither does he and I'll stand a much better chance of winning the duel.

"That may be, but neither do you and at I'll stand a much better chance at winning then you will." I told him.

"Why don't we just wait for Astral to come back?" Astrid asked.

If only I could slap her, "Astral is missing and we have a bomb to stop. Mr. Kay, I challenge you to a duel and if I win, you have to stop the bomb."

"Why is Yumi talking to herself?" Caswell asked Tori but I wasn't paying any attention to them.

"I accept, but you'll never beat me!" He cackled.

I threw the touch screen part of my Duel Disk into the air, "Duel Disk set!" I shouted as I attached it to my Duel Disk.

"Duel Gazer, let's go!" I yelled as I put it over my left eye.

"Duel interface on." The entire field was briefly covered in numbers before returning back to normal.

"Duel,"

**Mr. Kay: 4000  
Yumi: 4000**

"It's my turn and I'll set a monster face-down. I end my turn." Mr. Kay concluded.

That's it? Something doesn't feel right, but what can I do?

"I say you should summon Constellar Kaust (4/1800/700) in attack mode and attack that face-down of his." Astrid instructed.

"I summon Shining Angel (4/1400/800) in attack mode and I'll place one card face-down to end my turn." I finished.

A muscular man wearing a blue toga appeared. He had four golden wings, blonde hair and a halo.

"What? You should have attacked!" Astrid exclaimed.

"No way, attacking is extremely dangerous and who knows what monster he has set. It could have an extremely high defense which could cause me to lose some life-points." I explained.

Astrid stared to roll her eyes, "Yeah but next turn he could flip summon that monster and it could have a special ability. Or maybe he could tribute summon it for a stronger monster."

That's why I have this face-down, I'm fully prepared for next turn and it seems Astrid doesn't know about Shining Angel's special ability.

"I summon Crashbug Y (3/1400/1600) in attack mode and I flip summon Crashbug X (3/0/2000) in attack mode. I activate Crashbug Road which lets both of us special summon a monster from our hand, onto the field as long as it's the same level as the current monsters we control. I summon Crashbug Z (3/0/1500) in attack mode!" Mr. Kay yelled.

Three different monsters with the same black bomb head appeared.

"I special summon Constellar Gradi (4/1600/1400) in attack mode." I said.

A woman wearing silver armour with pink accents appeared and she was holding a wand. The Capricorn sign appeared behind her in a splash of stardust.

"Like that matters because I overlay my level 3 Crashbug X, Y and Z in order to build the Overlay Network so I can summon Number 34: Terror-Byte (3/0/2900) in defense mode." Mr. Kay laughed.

The three monsters turned into three purple streams and flew into a dark hole filled with stars. A yellow and blue computer chip appeared and it started to unfold until it was standing on its hind legs. The number '34' appeared on its right shoulder.

"Now by detaching a Xyz Material, I can take control of one level 4 or lower monster from your side of the field and I choose Constellar Gradi."

Constellar Gradi got him by a beam of light and went over to Mr. Kay's side of the field.

"Now I'll use your very own monster to attack Shining Angel!" He commanded as Constellar Gradi waved her wand and hit Shining Angel with a ray of light.

**Mr. Kay: 4000  
Yumi: 3800**

I felt a stabbing pain in my head which caused me to moan. Thanks to Number 34, my entire deck would turn against me!

"Face it Yumi, you're going to lose this duel and there's nothing you can do about it and why, because you don't have a Number card!" Mr. Kay cackled.

"You're wrong! I'm going to win this duel!" I snapped.

I'm not going to give up this duel; I'm going to win, somehow.

* * *

**Sorry that I didn't update this but I had a few things to sort out such as this summer camp that I'm doing in exactly two weeks! Anyway back to the competition, I can't choose so I decided to set up a poll. Here are all the Number cards that got sent in:**

**Number 38: Brave Striker  
Rank: 3  
Xyz Material: 2  
Attack: 1500  
Defense: 1000  
Effect: By detaching one Xyz Material, ****when there is another monster out on the field besides 'Brave Striker', Brave Striker can attack the number of times the amount of monsters on your field. Plus for every monster on your opponents side of the field, Brave Striker gains 200 attack points for each one.  
****Appearance: ****A small purple mouse mecha with a large white and blue bladed sword clamped in its mouth and an exploding violet background.**

**Number 93: Paradise  
****Rank 4/Two level 4 monsters****  
Atk: 2500  
Def: 2000  
Effect: Once per turn, by removing an overlay unit/xyz material, divide Paradise's attack points by the number of cards in your hand. Paradise can attack your opponent directly (rounded to the nearest whole number)  
Appearance: A more feminine version of Utopia with violet and indigo armour instead of white and gold.**

**Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Heavens****  
Rank: 5  
(2 level 5 monsters)  
ATK: 2900  
DEF: 3000  
Attribute: Light  
Effect: When this monster detaches 1 Xyz Material and removes it from play, it cannot be destroyed by Trap card or Spell card effects until the end of your next turn.  
Appearance: Pale skin; long black hair decorated with silver stars; a floor-length black kimono decorated with planets, stars and galaxies(like a star chart) a silver constellation belt around her waist; a thin silver band around her head decorated with indigo and violet gems of all shades; silver, star-like eyes.**

**Number 93: Dystopia  
Rank: 3  
Xyz Material: 2  
Attack: 2000  
Defense: 1500  
Effect: ** **It can force any monsters on the field to attack each other (used by the same person, if it's her and another or whatever, it works) if one is in defense mode it is switched to attack**** mode.**

**I hope that you guys will be as unbiased as possible because this is a serious decision. **

**Yumi: Yeah, choose whatever you think suits my personality, my deck, my appearance, etc**

**Astrid: Yeah! It has to be cooler than Utopia!**

**Astral: Hush Astrid! Why must you always try to make me look weak in comparison to you?**

**Astrid: Oh kiss my-**

**Quiet! Now whoever reviews this chapter will get this cupcake with a picture of IV on it. Am I the only one who thinks he's sexy? Also on my Facebook page, I edited a picture of him so we get to see what he looks like without his scar! **

**Yumi: He is so-**

**Yuma: Don't say it!**

**Astral and Astrid: Just review please! DON'T FORGET TO VISIT THE POLL ON CHINA SMITH'S PROFILE!**


	5. Number 34: TerrorByte Part 2

**Thank you to the 15 awesome people who have reviewed the last chapter, you guys rock!**

**Astrid: The song of this chapter is '4 Minutes' by Madonna featuring Justin Timberlake.**

**Yumi: China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal but if she did, God only knows what would happen.**

**Astral: Observation 5, all Fanfiction writers seem to want to own the fandom they write in.**

* * *

**Mr. Kay: 4000  
Yumi: 3800**

"Effect of Shining Angel, when he is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon any light monster from my deck in attack mode as long as it has 1500 or less attack points." I explained.

"Summon Fairy Archer (3/1400/600)! You can use her effect to inflict at least 400 points of damage each turn." Astrid explained.

I had to admit that this move did have potential but I can't afford to be that reckless, I need to play this safe.

"I special summon Honest (4/11000/1900) in attack mode." I stated.

A spiral of light appeared on my field and when it disappeared and a man with sun kissed skin appeared. He was extremely muscular and he wore a blue robe with a solid gold sun brooch on the neck of his robe and a solid gold belt. He had long wavy light brown hair with a strand of hair trailing down the middle of his forehead with a silver headband and to finish, he had a pair of massive white wings and the tips were shades of yellow, orange and red.

"Sis, why would you summon that weak monster?" Yuma moaned.

Astrid nodded in agreement, "You should have listened to me."

"Your defeat is coming soon Yumi! But for now I'll set two face-down cards and end my turn." Mr. Kay finished.

"Warning, virus is set to release in exactly twenty minutes." The computer said.

Time is running out, I need to end it as soon as possible.

Constellar Gradi returned to my side of field, "It's my turn, I draw!" Astrid shouted.

I rolled my eyes, "You're not holding the Duel Disk, I am! I draw!" I exclaimed.

All right, I know I can pull this move off.

"You need to summon Constellar Pollux (4/1700/600) and then overlay it with Gredi to Xyz summon Constellar Beehive (4/2400/800) and then use its effect to increase its attack by 1000 (2400 = 3400) to tear down Terror-Byte before attacking directly with Honest." Astrid told me.

"That would have been a great move to make, if it wasn't for that Number cards can only be destroyed by other Number cards!" I shouted at Astrid.

I mean seriously? Astral wouldn't have made a suggestion like that!

"I use Honest's effect to return him to my hand. Now I activate the continuous spell Galaxy Wave, so every time I Xyz summon, I can inflict 500 points of damage to you." I explained.

"Is Yumi going to do what I think she's going to do?" Yuma grinned.

I nodded in Yuma's direction, "Of course Yuma, I summon Constellar Acubens (4/800/2000) in attack mode. Now I overlay my level 4 Constellar Acubens and Constellar Gredi in order to build the Overlay Network! Rise to the stars, Constellar Omega (4/2500/500) in attack mode. Plus you lose 500 life-points."

**Mr. Kay: 3500  
Yumi: 3800**

My two monsters turned into two streams of white light and flew into a black hole on the floor in front of us. A white, gold and blue armoured centaur appeared on my field and it was holding a golden circular shield.

Now I admit I could have summoned Constellar Beehive, but by doing that, Astrid would act smug and big headed. Also there was another reason I preformed a Xyz Summon. Basically Terror-Byte can only take control of level 4 and under monsters, but XYZ monsters only have ranks.

"You're messing with my perfection," Mr. Kay growled, "but fortunately I have a card that will solve that, Damage Vaccine Ω MAX! This card allows me to regain all the damage I just lost." He explained as rainbow sparkles started to fall on him.

**Mr. Kay: 4000  
Yumi: 3800**

"What! So that move was pointless?" Astrid whined.

"In a way, this duel is pointless." Mr. Kay announced.

Astrid and I shared a look; could he see her? Or at least hear her?

"Someone like you, can't defeat someone like me!" Mr. Kay added.

"Sir, this isn't right! As a teacher you're meant to be encouraging students, not putting them down. What about your speech this morning about Crashbug?" I asked.

"I was wrong, perfection is everything! Why do you think I became a maths teacher? Everything has to be perfect; you can't afford to make one tiny error." He answered.

It's like this Number has totally scrambled his brain and destroyed everything Mr. Kay stood for.

"Haven't you heard? Imperfection is beauty*." I stated.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Yumi's losing! The police are going to think I've had something to do with this entire virus and I'll be sent to jail for life! I'll never become valedictorian and we're running out of time." Caswell started to freak out which was a funny sight.

I can't believe he's already planned out his entire life, oh wait, yes I can.

"Now I activate the trap card, Crashbug Swap which allows me to negate the effect of one of your XYZ monsters and split it into its original components, as long as I have at least one 'Crashbug' monster in my graveyard." Mr. Kay explained.

Astrid looked confused, "Since when did he have a 'Crashbug' monster in his graveyard?"

I face palmed, "All of Terror-Byte's Xyz Materials are Crashbug monsters!"

Astrid gasped, "Oh dang!"

I think she only just realised the full implications of this move, I can't use Omega's effect to prevent my monster from being destroyed.

Yuma looked worried, "Hang on Yumi!"

At this point that's all I can do, Mr. Kay's dueling style is flawless. He's executing his moves perfectly while keeping his life-points at 4000.

_Yumi, this isn't the time to be admiring Mr. Kay's dueling skills._ I thought.

"Now Constellar Omega is split back into Constellar Acubens (4/800/2000) and Constellar Gredi (4/1600/1400) and both are summoned in attack mode." He stated.

"I end my turn." I sighed.

"Now I detach one Xyz Material from Terror-Byte in order to take control of Constellar Gredi!" Mr. Kay announced as my monster was hit with another beam of light and got dragged over to Mr. Kay's field.

If he tries to attack me, my face-down card is Doble Passé so we'll both be taking damage this turn.

"Oh no, please don't attack my monster!" I shouted.

I'm such a good actress; he actually believes I'm scared.

Mr. Kay snarled, "Do you really think I'd be dumb enough to use the same move twice?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" I asked before high fiving Astrid even though my hand passed through hers.

"That's my girl!" Astrid grinned.

Even though that was really immature, it was far too tempting. I mean, how many times can you insult a teacher?

"I activate my two continuous spells, Infected Mai and Cracking. Infected Mail allows me to use a level 4 or lower monster I control and it can attack directly this turn, however at the end of the battle phase, the monster that attacks gets sent to the graveyard. Constellar Gredi, attack directly with Shining Magic!" Mr. Kay commanded as my monster waved her wand and struck me with a beam on silver light.

I ended up falling backwards and pain engulfed my entire body. It was like the pain in my head had spread.

**Mr. Kay: 4000  
Yumi: 2200**

"But that's not all Yumi; Cracking will cause you to lose 800 life-points because when a monster gets sent to the graveyard because of a card effect, the owner takes 800 points of damage." Mr. Kay smirked as small purple bullet things started to hit me.

**Mr. Kay: 4000  
Yumi: 1400**

"Yumi," Caswell, Yuma and Yuma shouted.

I feel so weak, what's happening to me? I need to focus and figure out how to ruin Mr. Kay's strategy or else I'll be losing this duel next turn.

"Yumi, get up!" Caswell shouted at me as he started to contort his body into different positions, "Be like the phoenix and rise from the ashes, caw, caw!"

Even though I didn't feel well, this was something to laugh at, "Excuse me?" I asked.

"Forget about that!" Caswell exclaimed before standing straight, "There's a dragon in your heart Yumi, what I'm saying is that you have untapped potential. All you need to do is wake it up and win this duel."

Yuma liked this pep talk and added to it, "Yeah what Caswell said, you can beat him even without a Number card!"

"Thank you guys," I smiled as I got up.

Astrid started to murmur something to herself before flying over to me, "Hey Yumi, before I didn't mean it when I said you were boring. I mean sure your no Yuma, but you seem to be just fine by being Yumi."

"That is so mean Astrid! I'm not Yuma; I'm never going to be like Yuma! You need to understand that! I want to help you but every time you say something like this, it makes me think that I shouldn't help you!" I shouted at her.

I hate how people always compare me and Yuma just because we're twins. Suddenly the room started to move which caused the roof to open.

"We're going up!" Yuma exclaimed as he started to flail around.

"All the way to the top," Tori added.

Mr. Kay started to cackle, "From up here we'll have the best view to witness the viral bug."

He's right; you can see the whole of Heartland City from up here. It actually looks really pretty but due to all the light population, you can't see the stars.

"I'll set one card and end my turn." Mr. Kay concluded.

All right, its time for me to panic! I don't have a card to help me win this duel!

"Astrid, what do I do?" I asked her.

"The first and most important thing is to stop panicking!" Astrid answered as she tried to slap me in the face but her hand passed through me.

"But that's the thing; I have no more moves and no monsters that can crush Terror-Byte." I sighed, "Face it, I've lost. Number cards can only be destroyed by other Number cards and as long as Terror-Byte is in defense mode, it doesn't matter how strong my monster is, it won't be able to beat it."

"That's true." Astrid admitted in a sad tone of voice, "I can't believe that this is it."

Suddenly Yuma's key started to glow and Astral appeared, "Where the heck have you been? I've been worried sick about you!" Astrid screeched at him.

"I knew you cared about him!" I said.

"No! He's back!" Yuma moaned.

Astral ignored us as he analysed the situation, "My advice is that you look at your Extra Deck."

"Why?" I asked in a confused tone.

That's completely pointless but I've learnt that Astral always has a reason for his actions. So I opened my Extra Deck and peered inside it. Everything seemed to be in order, apart from a card that was glowing!

"Don't just stand there Yumi, pick it up!" Astrid urged me.

I did as I was told and I tried to look at the card, but it was blurred.

"I can't read it!" I told Astrid.

She smiled with an all knowing look, "Summon two level 5 monsters."

I know what you guys are probably thinking, how can I summon two level 5 monsters in one turn, its time for me to show you the different possibilities when it comes to dueling.

"It's my move so I draw!" I smiled as I looked at my drawn card, "I'm feeling the flow! I activate Double Summon so I can normal summon twice this turn. I summon 2 Constellar Kaust (4/1800/700) in attack mode."

A man wearing bright silver and blue armour appeared. He was holding a gold bow and arrow and the Sagittarius sign appeared behind him.

Ever since my duel with Shark, Constellar Kaust keeps reminding me of him. I really hope Shark is okay, but I'm not dueling him, I'm dueling Mr. Kay for the fate of the entire city.

"Now I activate both monsters effect to increase both of their levels by 1. Now I overlay both of my level 5 monsters in order to perform a Xyz summon." I grinned as my two monsters turned into streams of light before flying into a black hole that was filled with stars.

"Rise up, Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations (5/2900/3000)!" Astrid and I both shouted as I slammed the card onto my Duel Disk.

In the middle of my field, planets, stars and entire galaxies appeared on what appeared to be a black robe of some sort. Suddenly it started to unfurl until it has formed the most beautiful monster that I had ever seen.

Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations was a pale skinned woman with a regal appearance. She had long black hair that was decorated with silver stars, a floor-length black kimono that was decorated with planets, stars and galaxies (I thought it looked like a star chart). To finish she had a silver constellation belt around her waist, a thin silver band around her head decorated with indigo and violet gems of all shades and silver, star-like eyes. The number '00' appeared on the center of her kimono as two beams of light flew around her.

I felt admiration for my monster; I wonder if this is what Yuma felt when he got Utopia?

Everybody gasped in surprise when they saw my monster, "Yumi has a Number card!" Yuma danced in delight.

"Wow, she's beautiful." Tori murmured.

"Yippee! I'm not going to jail!" Caswell cheered.

"You may have summon a Number card, but that doesn't mean your going to win this duel." Mr. Kay sneered.

He has a point; I don't even know what this monster can do.

"Then I'll just end my turn with a face-down." I finished.

"It's my turn now and I'll be activating Terror-Byte's special ability by removing its last Overlay Unit to take control of your Constellar Acubens." Mr. Kay instructed as a beam of light hit my monster and transferred it over to his side of the field.

"Use your own monsters for once!" I exclaimed.

"Why should I? Using my Terror-Byte combo I get so much more out of turning your monsters against you!" Mr. Kay explained, "Now Constellar Acubens will attack you directly!"

Before my monster could touch me, I activated my face-down, "I activate Negate Attack which negates your attack. Plus since your monster didn't attack directly, Cracking isn't going to work!" I shouted.

"Perhaps I've been underestimating you but you're not going to ruin my perfect victory! I activate Bug Switch so if I have Crashbug X, Y and Z in my graveyard, I can switch terror-Byte to attack mode so I can summon Super Crashbug (4/0/3000) in attack mode!" Mr. Kay grinned.

"For a second, I thought I had something to worry about." I smiled.

"Super Crashbug's effect switches the attack and defense points of every monster on the field." Mr. Kay explained.

That means Terror-Byte has 2900 attack points, Super Crashbug has 3000 attack, Constellar Acubens has 2000 attack points and Andromeda has 3000 attack points! I can't activate Doble Pass or else the duel will end in a draw and that would be bad.

"I end my turn with a face-down." He finished which cause Acubens to return to my field.

Let's see, his face-down could be another Damage Vaccine Ω MAX which I won't be able to counter. What can I do?

"Activate Andromeda's effect, by detaching one Overlay Unit you can negate the effects of any monster, trap and spell card until the start of your next turn." Astrid rolled her eyes.

If looks could kill, Astrid would be dead at this very moment, "You mean I could have stopped Mr. Kay from activating Terror-Byte's effect!"

"Oopsies, her effect slipped my mind because I'm getting into the duel." Astrid laughed awkwardly.

"By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can negate all spell, trap and monster effects until the start of my next turn!" I grinned as one of the beams of light surrounding Andromeda flew into her belt, which caused a shower of stardust to sprinkle all over Mr. Kay's field.

**Terror-Byte: (3/0/2900)**

**Super Crashbug: (4/0/3000)**

**Andromeda: (5/2900/3000)**

**Constellar Acubens: (4/800/2000)**

"No!" Mr. Kaymoaned.

"I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Constellar Gredi (4/1600/1400) in attack mode. Now Andromeda, attack Terror-Byte with Star Charge!" I commanded.

Andromeda brought her hands together and threw a ball of stars at it.

**Mr. Kay: 1100  
Yumi: 1400**

"Acubens, attack Super Crashbug with Comet Slam!" I commanded as he charged into Super Crashbug.

**Mr. Kay: 300  
Yumi: 1400**

"Constellar Gredi, attack directly Mr. Kay directly!" I commanded as she waved her wand and hit Mr. Kay with a pink beam.

**Mr. Kay: 0  
Yumi: 1400**

"Go Yumi!" Everybody cheered before Yuma ran up to me and gave me a tackle hug.

"I couldn't have done it better myself." Yuma grinned.

"Astral!" Astrid started to hug Astral and refused to let go.

"Astrid, let me go! I need to absorb that Number card." Astral moaned.

"Never, I don't wanna lose you again." Astrid pouted.

Astral eventually got his right arm free and held it out towards Mr. Kay. A card flew out of Mr. Kay's body and the '34' on his neck disappeared. Once Astral had absorbed the Terror-Byte, Astrid and he both widened their eyes.

"We're from a place called Astral World." Astral mused.

Yuma, Caswell, Tori and I ran over to Mr. Kay but I could still hear and see everything Astral and Astrid were doing.

"Mr. Kay, you need to stop the countdown!" I exclaimed.

"I can't," He groaned, "the virus can't be shut down."

We all gasped, "So the city is doomed?" Yuma asked but nobody answered him.

Caswell started to bite his fingernails while Tori started to cry, the countdown eventually reached 0 but nothing had happened to the city.

"It's all over!" Caswell shouted.

"The city is doomed!" Yuma yelled.

Mr. Kay didn't look worried, "Why are you all crying?" He asked.

"You're virus! Weren't you trying to destroy the city's system and cause panic and chaos?" I asked.

Mr. Kay's mouth dropped open, "Why do you think I would do something like that?"

"The city does look normal." Tori commented.

Mr. Kay started to scratch his head, "I admit that during my preparations, I accidently caused some trouble."

"So what did you do?" I asked.

Mr. Kay gave us all a thumbs up, "Just put on your Duel Gazers and look at the sky."

I did as he had asked and I was glad that I did because there was a giant Crashbug in the sky.

"How did you do that?" Tori asked.

"The night view in the city makes the matrix code of the Crashbug image which responded with Duel Gazers which materialised the Crashbug picture. However, the code was incomplete because of the lights off in the museum dome." Mr. Kay explained.

"So you're saying that everything you did was so that you could put on the museum lights and make Crashbug appear?" Yuma asked.

"Yes." Mr Kay admitted which caused us all to fall on the floor.

"Now that is awesome." I grinned.

"Look at this." Caswell showed us his Crashbug card.

"Are you trying to rub it in that you beat me yesterday?" Yuma snarled.

"No, read it." Caswell said.

"Crashbug, an electrical fairy that lives off of the other bugs. It becomes extremely powerful because it lives off its bug friends. It's said that those who witness its full moon-like appearance may forever live in happiness." I stated as Crashbug started to throw bombs which turned into fireworks.

"Don't you get it? Mr. Kay just wanted everybody to live in happiness." Caswell explained with a smile on his face.

Wow, Mr. Kay truly is the coolest guy ever! Astral and Astrid both floated over to us. Astrid had a grim look on her face which surprised me as she was usually a happy person.

"What's wrong Astrid?" I asked her.

"Basically when Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations appeared, I remembered something very important." She explained.

"Which is?" I asked.

"Unless you and Yuma collect all 100 Number cards, you will die." She answered, "That's why every time you or Yuma are losing a duel involving Numbers, you suddenly get ill. That's your body dying; it's like when Astral loses his life-force."

"What!" Yuma instantly looked distraught, "Please tell me you're joking!"

Astral shook his head, "For once Astrid isn't joking."

I let out a nervous laugh before fainting.

* * *

**Congrats to Nyx'sBlackRose who won the competition, it was a very close competition but most people wanted Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations to appear (I changed part of her name btw)**

***The quote I used is a very famous quote by Marilyn Monroe. **

**Yumi: I'M GOING TO DIE?**

**No, you just need to collect all the Number cards. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.**

**Yuma: I won't let you die Yumi.**

**Isn't that sweet? Now whoever reviews next chapter will get a kiss from any Zexal character of their choice.**

**Everyone: WHAT! NO WAY!**

**So review! See you guys soon!**


	6. Ragdoll Days

**Thank you people, I can see that after last chapter many people started to list this as one of their favourite stories. What made you like it, Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations, the official start of the Number hunting or the fact that Yumi will die unless her and Yuma collect all the Number cards?**

**Yumi: Obviously Andromeda who is sweet!**

**Yuma: I'm upset, Andromeda is stronger than Utopia and has a much cooler effect!**

**IV: Have you seen my Number cards? I mean Number 88: Gimmick Puppet – Destiny Leo and Number 40: Gimmick Puppet Heaven's String have really high levels of attack and really powerful effects. **

**Yumi: Its what makes you appear more dangerous than you really are, when in actual fact you're a pussycat.**

**IV: Fear me!**

**Yumi: *slams a shovel in IV's face* Now mon ami's, China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal or IV would be dead (or dating me). Also I have found out what name looks like in Japanese, its ****ゆみツクモ**** which means Yumi Tsukumo.**

**Astrid: Also ****ツ**** may look like a smiley face, when it's Japanese for 'Star' and it's in Tsukumo. Now I know what you guys probably think, did China see this and therefore decide to give Yumi a Constellation deck? Turns out that it's purely a coincidence! **

**Also before I forget, my one year anniversary is coming up! **

**Yumi: YOU'RE MARRIED?**

**No! I mean I've been on for one year!**

**Yumi: Oh sorry.**

**I joined on the 28th July 2011 but I can't celebrate as I'm away in the countryside but I'm coming back on July 29th so I'll see if I can publish a special chapter or maybe one-shot.**

**Astrid: Also check out China's profile! She now has a website on Weebly!**

**Astral: Observation 6, Fanfiction writers enjoy fangirling over their favourite canon characters.**

* * *

Most people don't know how or when they will die; I'm one of the lucky (or unlucky) few who know how or when they will die. I don't know specifically when I will die, but I do know that unless Yuma and I collect all 100 Number cards, I will die in the most painful way.

I hoped that if I was to ever die young, it would be quick and painless surrendered by the people I love. Well I'll be surrounded by the people I love; it'll just be slow and painful while (maybe) choking on my own blood. Try dueling with that type of pressure, it ruins the dueling mood.

Ever since that duel with Mr. Kay I haven't been out of the house (besides going to school) because I've lost the will to live/duel.

"Yumi, you can't spend your whole life living in fear just because of something that may not happen." Astrid rolled her eyes as she tried to get me out of my bed.

I peeked my head out from under the covers, "Oh yeah? Watch me." I returned back to my lair.

I could hear Astrid sigh, "Well you need to get out of bed because you have school today!"

I nearly fell out of bed; I can't believe I forgot about school. I'll go back to moping later once I come back from school.

* * *

Tori, Bronk, Yuma and I were wandering around the school grounds since it was break time.

"So basically Yumi and I have these two annoying spirits following us around. They call themselves Astral and Astrid and apparently their twins just like me and Yumi, except they are total opposites. Actually when I say both are annoying, I mean Astral because he is so boring! Astrid on the other hand is really cool and she totally gets me." Yuma started to point at where Astral and Astrid were standing.

Currently they were both engaged in a conversation about who was a better duelist, Yuma or me. Astrid was trying to say that Yuma was a better duelist, while Astral was adamant that I was a much better duelist.

Tori and Bronk both looked like they didn't believe Yuma's story, but it was just because they couldn't see Astrid and Astral. Its so sad how people think that just because you can't see something, means it doesn't exist. I mean with all the light pollution in Heartland City you can't see the stars! But, nobody says stars don't exist.

"Yuma, have you been sleeping enough lately?" Tori asked.

Yuma looked startled, "I'm not crazy! Just ask Yumi, she can see them both." Yuma started to wave his hand in front of my face, "Earth to planet Yumi, wake up!"

I quickly broke out of my thoughts, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Quit zoning out!" Yuma exclaimed as he started to shake me.

"Hey Yuma," An unfamiliar voice shouted.

Suddenly a small boy towards us, he had fair skin, green bottle bottom glasses, brown hair and a weird blue bowler hat. He wore the first year uniform for Heartland Middle School which indicates that he is a student here.

"Do we know you?" I asked him.

He turned around before pointing his finger in the air, "The name is Flip and I take pride in that name, because I believe that everything has a flip side." Flip explained.

I instantly didn't trust him because he had like this dark aura. I usually try to see the best in everybody I meet, but Flip just seemed like he couldn't be trusted. However I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Pleased to meet you and before I forget, I have a little something for you Yuma." Flip smiled as he took a card out from his pocket, "It's a Xyz monster called Baby Tiragon."

I instantly took a peek at the card and I nearly squealed because it was so cute!

"And you're just giving it to me?" Yuma asked with a shocked look on his face.

"Yep, for taking down that bully, Shark," Flip explained.

Shark wasn't a bully...okay he was but nobody is perfect, we all deserve second chances and I'm sure that under that rough exterior is a Baby Tiragon (or maybe a Watapon but he is a total Regulus on the outside) but maybe something happened to him that caused him to be so cold to others.

"Go on Yuma, don't be shy," Flip's eyes started to close during the last statement which made him look really shady, "it can be a symbol of our new friendship."

"Symbol of friendship, huh?" Yuma asked before grinning, "I'd have to be a jerk to turn that down."

"That's right, don't be afraid just take it." Flip smirked.

This is really peculiar; Flip just met Yuma so why is he giving him such an expensive card (Xyz monsters are really expensive to buy due to their effects)? And why is he so insistent that Yuma takes it?

"Okay!" Yuma exclaimed before reaching for the card, but Tori's hand clamped round his wrist.

"Come on Yuma, we're going to be late for class!" Tori shouted before pulling Yuma away.

Bronk started to help drag Yuma away, so I followed them all to class.

"But that card!" Yuma whined while struggling against Tori and Bronk's grip, "I want it!"

"Yeah, let Yuma get that card! He deserves it!" Astrid exclaimed.

Once we were far away from Flip, Tori and Bronk started to talk to Yuma about Flip.

"You can't trust Flip, Yuma." Tori started.

"Why not," Yuma asked.

"Because he was in our class last year and everywhere he walked, chaos followed him. He always has some kind of hidden motive." Bronk answered.

"Trusting him would be the worst thing you could do." Tori added.

Yuma just waved his hand at them, "He seems like a nice guy, plus he wanted to give a Xyz monster and we all know how expensive they are."

That's Yuma for you; he'll do anything to get a Xyz monster, "Yuma, maybe you should listen to Bronk and Tori, I mean we really don't know Flip that well and he just walks up to you with a card? I'm sorry but that does seem a tad suspicious." I informed him.

Yuma sunk his shoulders, "Good point, let's just get to class."

* * *

As soon as class had ended, Flip immediately ran up to Yuma and tried to hand him Baby Tiragon. I immediately grabbed Yuma's hand and dragged him away. Sure I see the best in people, but I also always believe what my friends tell me.

"Yumi, get off of me!" Yuma wailed as I dragged him away from his precious card.

"I will," I said, "as soon as we get as far away from Flip as possible." I muttered the last part so Yuma wouldn't hear me.

All day Flip kept trying to give Yuma, Baby Tiragon which we all prevented by pulling Yuma away, just in the nick of time.

"Don't you guys think you're being too distrusting?" Yuma asked.

"Yeah, you guys need to back off!" Astrid agreed.

Why can't she live in the key like Astral does?

Tori, Bronk and I just sighed, "You'll thank us later." Tori said.

I was glad once the school day was over because I dragged Yuma straight home. The less we're outside, the more likely nobody will challenge us to a Number duel and a certain chance that I won't die.

Dueling used to be a luxury, something you did for fun and to make new friends but now, it's a life and death situation for me. Why did this have to happen to me? This bracelet was meant to give me luck, not a death sentence and a reason to stop dueling!

As soon as we got back home, Kari had her hands on her hips and she looked furious.

"Yuma, have you been dueling?" She demanded.

Yuma's face paled slightly, "No, of course not!" He exclaimed while scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, I've been keeping an eye on him Kari and he hasn't." I added.

She threw Yuma a small padded white envelope, "Then why did this come?"

Yuma and I both peered at the letter, "To King of Duels, Yuma-sama." I read aloud.

Sama? Yuma may be a lot of things but he does not deserve to be called that. Whoever sent this obviously has a great deal of respect for Yuma...which is creepy. Yuma is my older brother and not even I would call him sama (even though he is technically my Nii-sama).

"From Yuma-sama's biggest fan, sweet I got fan mail!" Yuma grinned before running upstairs as Kari shot him a death look.

Uh oh, Kari just found proof that Yuma is dueling. I better run away before she takes her anger out on me! I immediately ran to my room and locked the door.

"What's a 'fan mail'?" Astrid asked.

"Basically it's when somebody well-known receives mail and/or a gift from one of their fans as a sign of admiration. Since Yuma got one, this shows that somebody admires him." I explained.

Astrid seemed to process this, "So why don't you have one?"

She has a good point, "Astrid I told you, I don't want to become a famous duelist or become well known as a duelist."

Yeah, cause more people will want to see me duel and what if I choke and mess up?

"Oh right, your 'dueling fright'. Man up! Dueling is a wonderful thing and I am not letting Astral breed a famous duelist because it shows I'm incapable of helping anyone!" Astrid screeched which caused me to cover my ears.

"Plus, I and Yuma are banned from dueling!" I exclaimed.

She immediately stopped screaming, "Oh, how come?"

I was relieved that she had stopped screaming, "Kari just hates us dueling for some reason."

"Well that stinks!" Astrid resumed her screaming which caused me to fall onto my bed and cover my ears with a pillow.

After a few minutes passed, somebody was banging on my door which stopped Astrid screaming due to her curiosity.

"Yumi, I got something to show you!" Yuma sounded excited so I opened my door.

Yuma nearly fell on the floor and I noticed that Astral was behind him, "Look, I got a Xyz monster!" He practically shoved the card in my face, so I took it off of him and examined it.

It was Baby Tiragon.

"Wasn't this the card Flip was trying to give you?" I asked.

Yuma rolled his eyes, "That's just a coincidence and this is from my fangirl which she sent to me as a sign of admiration."

I admit that Baby Tiragon is a card that a young girl would give to somebody. The only problem is I highly doubt that Yuma knows about this its untapped potential. Besides, I didn't see any reason why Yuma couldn't have this card, so I handed it back to him.

* * *

**_The next day:_**

As soon as Yuma and I had walked into school, we were surrounded by the entire first year group. Caswell was leading them and they all looked really annoyed.

"Hey guys, what's shaking?" Yuma asked.

"Yuma, I didn't think you were that kind of person." Caswell announced.

"Huh?" We both asked in shock before Caswell continued.

"But I can't believe you would do this behind our backs." He snapped.

"What? What have I done?" Yuma asked with a confused look.

Caswell rolled his eyes, "Even being shameless has its boundaries! Everyone got these anonymous photos." As if to prove his point, everybody held up their Duel Gazers and Touch screens.

"So what else have you been up to? We know everything, destroying flowerbeds, causing trouble for our teacher, cheating on your tests and you ate Spencer's lunch and replaced it with a frog! When he saw this, he decided not to come into school!" Caswell growled.

I wish I could say that Caswell was lying, but Yuma was in every single picture and it didn't look good at all.

"Come on Caswell, Yuma wouldn't hurt a fly. I mean look at that face." I pointed at Yuma's face; he was trying to do Baby Tiragon eyes (but failing).

"Sorry Yumi, but you're biased towards Yuma because he's your brother!" Caswell pointed out.

The entire mob agreed but Caswell did have a good point.

"There has to be a misunderstanding!" Tori exclaimed as she suddenly appeared with Bronk.

"Yeah, Yuma isn't a shady guy on the inside at all!" Bronk added.

Caswell just shook his head, "You three, although I do understand why you want to support Yuma. But there is a lot of solid evidence to back this up, Yuma from now on we're strangers. Let's go everyone." And with that, everybody walked away while ignoring Yuma's protests.

This is going to be a bad day; I can just feel it in my bones.

* * *

**Sorry to leave you guys hanging but I enjoy putting cliffhangers. **

**Yumi: I'm really depressed aren't I?**

**And it's only going to get worse! All right guys, I'll see you in 5 days and don't forget:**

**REVIEWS ARE LIKE PORN TO WRITERS SO PLEASE SATISFY OUT URGES!**

**Wish me good luck cause I'll need it.**


	7. To Live Or Not To Live

**I'm back people! Sorry I didn't update, but I did post a GaucheXDroite aka NistroXDextra oneshot (that Fanfiction deleted -_-). I hope you all enjoy this chapter, note that it will be in past tense.**

**Astrid: Please review this chapter. China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal but if she did, we would have found out that Rio is Shark's twin sister ages ago and she would have made a proper appearance now.**

**Yep! Its official my friends, Rio Kastle aka Rio Kamishiro is Shark's younger twin sister! So that reviewer who suggested that I should make Rio, Shark's twin...well it looks like you're psychic! But with how much the Kastle twins resembled each other, it was kinda obvious. Also Rio has red eyes, but besides that she looks a lot like Shark! **

**Astral: The song of this chapter is 'Lights' by Ellie Goulding, because, it shows how Yumi had rough feelings and was suffering in silence. I'll tell you more about it in the end because I don't wanna give spoilers.**

**Astrid: China is also experimenting with Japanese honorifics because she thinks that they're cool, but she doesn't know if she uses them properly. Please tell her if you think that she is using them incorrectly so that she can fix them.**

* * *

Once school ended, Yuma bolted off without me. Seriously, he just left school without me which I found strange because we always walked home together. Then again, our class did turn against him, so I couldn't blame him.

"Poor Yuma-kun," Astrid sighed as we walked home together, "I've never seen him look so crushed before."

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I mean Yuma would never do those things. I don't know what's worse: our entire class turning against him, or the fact that everybody believed those pictures."

A sudden thought occurred to me which caused me to stop walking.

"Yumi, what's wrong?" Astrid asked as she stopped floating alongside me.

"Those pictures," I exclaimed as I pulled out my D-Pad and started to examine the pictures, "is it me, or do they look pretty dodgy?"

Astrid peered at the screen, "They look pretty real to me."

I rolled my eyes at her obliviousness, "Yuma was with us all day when these pictures were taken. It couldn't have been him!"

Astrid's mouth dropped open, "Oh! Plus Astral is always with him, so wouldn't he have seen or stopped Yuma from doing those nasty stunts?"

I nodded at her; now she's getting it.

"Yuma may be innocent, but what I wanna know is, who would be evil enough to frame him. In fact, ever since he got that Baby Tiragon card, it's like his whole life has been turned upside down." I noted.

_Baby Tiragon, that card seems to have trouble following it. Wait trouble following it? That's exactly what Tori and Bronk said about Flip...who was also trying to give Yuma, Baby Tiragon. _I thought.

"It's Flip! Flip did this!" I shouted before covering my mouth with my hands.

Astrid looks confudled, "Flip? But he seemed like such a nice guy, plus he did try to give Yuma a Xyz monster."

I tutted, "But why would he, when he and Yuma have never met or even talked before! Not unless it was part of his sinister plan to ruin Yuma's life!"

I admit that that sounds farfetched, but I don't trust Flip as far as I can throw him.

"That makes sense, but you're forgetting one thing genius; why would Flip wanna ruin Yuma's life? He's been nothing but nice to him." Astrid declared.

The more I thought about it, the more _silly _my idea sounded.

"Yeah, maybe you're ri-"The rest of my sentence was stuck in my throat as I let out a stomach churning cough.

I quickly covered my mouth with one of my hands, but I felt something wet hit it. At first I thought it was my spit, but a sharp, metallic tang in my mouth told me different. I prayed that it wasn't what I thought it was, because that could only mean one thing. I pulled my hand away and I could see a speckling of blood covering my palm.

"Yumi, why is there blood on your hand?" Astrid looked concerned as she tried to pull my hand towards her.

I tried to brush the matter aside, but Astrid wouldn't stop bugging me.

"The last time this happened, Yuma-kun was dueling Shark-san." Astrid continued.

San, I will not let Astrid call Shark that. She's practically calling him Mr. Shark which means it's a sign of respect. She rather respect Shark than me?!

Before I could complain, I suddenly felt very faint and I nearly hit the pavement.

"Yumi-chan, you need some help!" Astrid shouted as she looked around and spotted a wooden bench, "Sit on that bench!"

My legs were turning into jelly, so I listened to Astrid for once before coughing again. I couldn't cover my mouth in time, as a result, my blood ended up dripping all over the pavement. It looked as if it had just rained crimson rain (not every creative but I'm 13 years old, give me a break!).

My head was killing me, and my throat felt like it was on fire. Why must all the bad things happen to me? The last time I felt like this was when I was dueling Mr. Kay, that was also when I found out that I would die if Yuma and I don't collect all the Number cards. Maybe Yuma's losing a Number duel and that's why I'm coughing myself to death.

"Are you alright dearie?" A kind, gentle voice broke me out of my thoughts.

My eyes snapped open and I could see a concerned, withered face of an elderly lady. She reminded me of my own grandmother.

"I'm fine Ma'am; I'm just not feeling well. Thanks for ask-"I broke off into another coughing fit.

Unfortunately for me, sounding like you're 'coughing up a lung', is never a good way to convince anyone, that you're absolutely 'fine'.

"Oh my, are you coughing up...blood?" She asked as her eyes scanned the pavement before finally resting on me.

I couldn't lie in this situation because, all the evidence is gathered up in one place. Obviously the smartest thing to do in this situation, would be taking the sick party (i.e. me) to the hospital for some medical attention. Even if she took me to the hospital, I highly doubt the doctors will be able to find anything wrong with me.

Sure they'll know that I'm incredibly ill, but they won't be able to find the cause of my 'illness'.

"Oh that? That's not blood, that's...cherry syrup. My bottle must have leaked. Oopsi-"The last thing I remembered was my face about to greet the pavement, with Astrid's voice ringing in my ears.

* * *

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _

That was the only sound I could hear, the sound reminded me of a heart monitor. I could also feel something warm and rough in my left hand. Almost immediately something stroked the back of my hand in an almost gentle manner.

_Wait, a heart monitor? _I thought, _am I in a hospital?_

"Yumi, please wake up. I won that duel with Flip, so you shouldn't be in this state." Yuma cried.

_I knew Flip was responsible for Yuma getting in trouble! But, was he even a Numbers Holder? _I thought, _also why can I hear Yuma?_

"I mean, the doctor said you were fine. So why aren't you waking up?" He continued.

_Good question, all I need to do it open my eyes and I'll be conscious. _I thought, _so why can't I open my eyes? _

_Wait, I wonder if this is one of those weird TV things. Like, whenever the protagonist goes into a coma and they're predicted a dangerous future, they're in some sort of 'limbo' and they have to make the choice whether to continue living or not. How cliché is this!? Of course I wanna wake up...or do I?_

If I continue to live, then I'll only die a painful death... What am I saying? That'll only happen if Yuma and I don't collect all of the Number cards. Sure there's a chance that we may fail, but at least we can say that we tried. Plus without me, who else will save Yuma from Kari's dangerous scoop searching antics?

I've made my choice, now I just gotta wake up. Come on Yumi, wake up! You have everything to live for! Yuma, Kari, Grandma, Astrid, Astral, Tori, Bronk and I still need to challenge Shark to a rematch! I need to see more Number cards! I want to know if there are any more star based Number cards! I want to find out what happened to my mum and dad!

I flexed my fingers which caused them to twitch, the warm thing in my hand started to tighten around my fingers which led me to believe that it was a hand.

"Kari! Grandma! She just moved her hand!" Yuma exclaimed in a joyful tone of voice.

I heard some footsteps enter the room.

"Really Yuma," Kari asked, "because it doesn't look like she's in any condition to move her tongue, let alone her hands!"

Grrrh, Kari! I started to tighten my hands into fists which caused Yuma to groan in pain.

"Ow, owwwwww, she's breaking my hand!" Yuma squealed as he yanked his hand out of mine.

My eyelids fluttered open and I met the shocked faces of Kari, Grandma and Yuma.

"Oh thanks a lot Kari, I may look comatose but I can still hear everything you're saying!" I growled.

"You're awake! Thank God! We've been worried about you! You've been unconscious for over 24 hours!" Kari ran over to my bedside and engulfed me in one of her rare hugs.

I wanted to break out of it, but when would Kari ever hug me again? I need to milk this moment for all I can and just enjoy it (no matter how much it's hurting me!).

"Yuma never once left your bedside." Grandma added.

I looked over to Yuma who started to blush, "Grandma's just exaggerating. I left for less than a minute to use the bathroom, good thing this room has a built in bathroom. By the way, I hope you don't mind, but I ate all the food that the nurses brought you."

That would explain the empty plates on the tray in front of my bed.

"That's nice to hear, now tell me how I ended up in the hospital. The last thing I remember is a wooden bench." I admitted.

Kari and Grandma shared a look of concern which worried me.

"What? What happened?" I asked.

"You were found coughing up blood and, you fainted. The doctors first thought you showed signs of Tuberculosis because you had a high fever, blood filled airway and you wouldn't stop sweating." Kari sighed.

Tuberculosis, if I was to die then my cause of death would probably be marked as TB.

"But suddenly, your temperature returned back to normal and all the symptoms just disappeared. Now the doctors just think that you might have scratched your throat, which caused your throat to bleed. They still want to keep you in for an observation though, just in case your symptoms return." Grandma answered.

I really need to talk to Yuma, too bad Kari and Grandma are here...

* * *

Eventually Kari, Grandma and Yuma had to leave my hospital room. I'm allowed to leave tomorrow, providing that nothing bad happens to me overnight. I stopped Yuma though before he could leave.

"Yuma, what happened between you and Flip? Was he a Number Holder?" I asked in an urgent tone of voice.

"Flip just wanted to steal Utopia from me. He gave me Baby Tiragon and tricked me into summoning it, so that he could summon out Utopia and take control of him. Plus when I summoned out Leviathan Dragon, he also took of it." Yuma explained as he scratched the back of his head.

Flip was the reason I nearly died?! I'm going to kill him the next time I see him!

"What! So Flip is the reason I'm in this place?! Please tell me you taught him a lesson?" I asked.

Yuma immediately grinned, "Actually I ended up using Baby Tiragon against him and winning the duel. Flip was kind enough to give me Baby Tiragon as a symbol that we're friends."

I immediately frowned, "Yuma, are you sure you can trust Flip? He put me in the hospital and framed you for stuff you didn't do!"

"He's sorry for everything he did, and we dueled so now we're friends! What happened to you Yumi? You used to smile and see good in everyone. Ever since that duel with Mr. Kay, you've been less chill than usual. I miss the old Yumi! The Yumi that always backed me up, the Yumi that doesn't care what anybody else thinks of her! Where's _that_ Yumi?" Yuma looked really concerned.

Oh my gosh, I've been so selfish. I've only been thinking about myself, I've never once thought about how this whole 'me dying' situation was affecting Yuma.

"I'm sorry Yuma. It's just, ever since I found out that I might die, I've been all out of whack. Its not easy for me Yuma, I hate knowing that I might die at any second. That my life is decided by a game." I admitted as I fought back tears.

"It's not easy for me either Yumi. I just want to see you smile and act like your regular, sparkling self. I don't like seeing you suffer!" Yuma started to chew his bottom lip.

Yuma is really acting like my Onii-sama, but he hates me calling him that because we're twins, so we're meant to be equals. So I should either call him Onii-chan.

"Oh Yuma, I never thought about you." I tried to hold back my tears, but I failed.

Yuma started to shush me, "Shh, its okay Yumi. I'll do anything to make you smile, in fact-"he broke off as he pulled a card out of his Extra Deck and handed it to me.

I accepted the card and my eyes widened as I examined it. It was Baby Tiragon!

"B-Baby T-Tiragon," I stuttered, "I-I can't accept this. It's a symbol of your friendship with Flip."

Yuma pushed my hand away from him, "I insist, it may be a symbol of my friendship with Flip, but I also want to make you smile as well. Just take really good care of this card."

I was so touched; I couldn't help but hug Yuma. "Thank you Yuma, of course I'll take care of him!"

"I know you will, I'll see you tomorrow. See ya Yumi." Yuma got up and walked away.

The world may get tough, but that's what friends and family are for. I know that with Yuma by my side, nothing can go wrong. Though maybe I need to think about making some minor adjustments to my deck, usually I feel ill whenever I start to lose Life Points in a duel. I need to start adding cards that let me gain Life Points.

All this stress is no good for me, I need to enjoy the time I have alone. Cause tomorrow I'm probably going to be probed by the doctors and sent for multiple blood tests. But that's another day, I'm just glad I got through this day (okay sure I slept for over 24 hours, but my point is still valid).

* * *

**The reason 'Lights' is the song of this chapter is because, Yumi finally overthrows her suffering and learns that she is not alone and she cannot let one little thing stop her from living her life.**

**Yumi: That's pretty deep of you China. Well done :D**

**Thank you Yumi, anyway, Yumi visiting the hospital/doctors will become a regular thing, because we all know how much Life Points Yuma loses whenever he duels in a Number duel. Soooo, I'm thinking about bringing Rio into this storyline!**

**Shark: No way! What do you mean?!**

**Well in the next chapter, Yumi will be scared to go to sleep so she might start to wander around the hospital and 'discover' Rio. No she won't figure out that Rio and Shark are related for agesssss. What do you guys think? **

**I think that Rio would be in Heartland Hospital, because Shark does live in Heartland City and he would want to be in the same city as his sister so that he could visit her often. The reason I'm suggesting this is because, I want this to follow the canon but I want it to be unique at the same time. Why do you guys think I involved the Yumi dying thing? I imagine that they will be friends, but not close friends. Like they'll talk about dueling, their experiences and other things teenage girls talk about. They may mention that they each have a twin, so that'll help them bond as it gives them common ground. I'll be putting a poll up to decide.**

**Astrid: On another note, this story has 91 reviews! So next chapter I'm hoping that this story will have over 100 reviews in total! Please make China's dream come true by reviewing and helping her reach 100 reviews :3**

**You said it Astrid, review, answer the poll and I'll see you guys soon! Byeeee! **


	8. Hospital Are Sure Fun(!)

**China: I have no idea why it took me this long to update; I've had this chapter on my phone for ages.**

**Astrid: Cuz you lazy! **

**Yumi: For once I agree with you Astrid.**

**Astrid: Nice to see yo- hey! What do you mean "for once"? I'm always right!**

**Yuma: Moving on! China is thinking of either having Yumi duel Nelson in the next chapter or skipping episode 7, 8 and 9 so we can move onto episode 11-12 where we see Shark again and Yumi will definitely be in a tag duel with Shark.**

**Astral: I heard that Yumi will also be dueling Shark in episode 10 instead of Yuma-**

**Astrid: Shut it brother! Stop spoiling the fans! Speaking of which, have you seen episode 33 English dub where Quattro (aka IV) dueled Caswell and Bronk? China nearly fainted cuz even though she hates Quattro (she prefers IV) episode 33 made her love Quattro and she found it better than the original which is weird.**

**China: ANYWAY! THIS STORY HAS FINALLY REACHED 106 REVIEWS AND WE'RE ON CHAPTER 7!**

**Yumi: WOWSERS! People really like hearing my side of the story don't they? I bet people are always imagining that it must be awesome being Yuma's twin, for once this twin is proving that it's not always awesome!**

**China: True that Yumi and I'm hosting a competition that involves you. Basically I need a cover for this story and I'm holding a competition for one of my readers to make me one. Whoever designs a really good cover will have a one shot that I'll write of course :D**

**Yumi: Interesting, that sounds really nice. Anyway, enjoy chapter 8 and China might be changing Rio's name to Regina to make it similar to Shark's English dub name which is Reginald. Plus Rio sounds similar to Ryoga (Shark's Japanese name). Do the disclaimer Astrid and Astral!**

**Astral: China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.**

**Astrid: But if she did, watch out! She only owns Yumi and I.**

* * *

Do you know what's more boring than watching paint dry? Staying in a hospital room! Its 6:30pm and there's nothing to do, there's not even a TV in my room. Plus I'm in one of those annoying hospital gowns...you know, the one that shows your butt?

I just love my family for forgetting to bring me my pyjamas (!) On the plus side, at least I have my deck...even though it's on that chair with my bloody uniform on it. I'm not using the word 'bloody' in the rude context; my uniform is actually covered in blood.

After five minutes of me reciting all the cards in my deck, I figured that enough was enough! I'm getting out of this bed, even if it kills me. I started to press the button on my bed that called the nurse. After what felt like an eternity, a young looking nurse entered the room.

"What's wrong?" She sighed.

She seems nice (!)

"Do I have to wear this dress thingy? It's too breezy." I complained.

The nurse looked surprised, "You're Yumi Tsukumo right? Your sister left a bag for you in the reception. I'll go get it."

With that the nurse quickly left the room and returned with a blue plastic bag. She handed me the plastic bag which I eagerly opened. I pulled out a hideous pair of pink flannel pyjamas that was covered with pictures of rainbows and unicorns.

These pyjamas were a gift from my grandma last year. I hated them so much that I hid them in one of my drawers. These must have been the first pair of pyjamas that Kari saw! I can't blame her because she was trying to help me (for once) but these were still a disaster area.

If I wasn't so desperate, I would have gladly worn the hospital gown for the rest of my stay here. However I wanted to explore the hospital and I needed to look decent (or at least something that covered my butt).

"Is there anywhere that I could change?" I asked.

The nurse rolled her eyes as she pointed to a second door that I didn't notice before, "There's a bathroom behind that door. If you have an emergency, don't hesitate to call for assistance." She declared in a monotone voice before leaving the room.

That lady sounds too unpleasant to be a nurse. I hopped out of bed and made my way to the bathroom. It was a fairly small room that had all the necessities, such as a toilet, a bath and a sink. I ripped the gown off before slipping into the flannel nightmare. I had to admit that even though they were hideous, they were pretty darn comfy.

I promptly left the bathroom but instead of going back to bed, I decided to leave my room and explore the hospital (let's be real, I'm probably never going to have another chance to do this). I pulled my shoes on before plodding out of the room.

The corridors were so white and there were quite a lot of windows. I could see most of Heartland City which comforted me. At this height, the view was amazing as per usual. I walked down a few corridors and I promptly found myself lost; every hallway looked the same.

Great, I'm lost. I thought, and if I get caught out of bed, I dread to think what will happen next.

I try to navigate myself back to my room, but it's no use; I can't even remember the number of my room. I sink to my knees in defeat...until I hear a sound that resembles crying.

What in the...

I look around and I can see that I'm leaning against a door. It has a small window which revealed...I'm not very sure what to say. I could see this figure that has bandages around their body. The person wore a pink T-shirt and white bandages covered their forearms and most of their head, though purple and blue hair still trailed down the person's back which led me to believe that it was a girl.

The girl was sitting up on the bed, her hands covered her face and her shoulders lurched forward with each sob. I slightly opened the door so I could hear what she was saying.

"Reginald...where...are...you?" She choked out.

I didn't know what to do, should I call the nurse? This girl might be in a great deal of pain. However just as I turned to leave, I ended up tripping over my feet and banging into the door frame.

The girl instantly turned her head in my direction, "Is someone...there?"

I was in a great deal of pain, but I still managed to pull myself up, "Sorry, did I disturb you?"

The girl grimly chuckled, "No, you just missed...my crying...session."

The girl sounds like she could be around my age, "I apologise, I thought you were in pain. I'll just be goin-"

"No don't!" She interrupts me as I turn to leave. "It's just, my brother hasn't visited me for two weeks and he's the only one who keeps me company. I get so lonely in this hospital; I only talk to the nurses and him."

She sounds really sad and lonely. I'm assuming Reginald is her brother; I bet her brother is some kind of posh twat to have a fancy old timey name like that.

"That sounds horrible, how old are you?" I ask her as I close the door.

"I'm 14 and so is my brother. He's the only one who understands me." She answered me.

If she's 14 and he's 14, then doesn't that make them...?

"You're a twin? That's so awesome! So am I!" I exclaimed, "I'm 13 by the way."

She gasped, "What a weird coincidence. I'm Regina."

"I'm Yumi and that's a really nice name. Plus it sounds like the female version of Reginald." I declared.

The corners of her mouth twitched a bit, which made me wonder if she was trying not to smile.

"Why don't you take a seat?" She asked as she gestured to the opposite side of her bed, except the chair was right next to me.

Is she...blind? I wondered as I sat down in the chair.

"Thank you Regina, so why are you covered in bandages?" I regretted saying those words as they came out of my mouth.

What I asked seemed way too personal and we had only just met.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer. We've only just met after all." I added before covering my face with my hands.

"Why are you in this hospital? Are you visiting someone or are you ill yourself?" Regina asked me.

"I'm ill myself, the doctors think I might be suffering from Tuberculosis. I passed out on a park bench and kept coughing up blood. I also displayed a high fever, thankfully the symptoms went away. Unfortunately, I still have to stay here for an overnight observation and the amount of blood tests and X-Rays I'll have tomorrow..." I trailed off.

The reason I told her all of this was to apologise for asking her such a personal question, (plus I highly doubt she can see me). Plus I'm really scared about the whole TB thing. The doctors are going to force me to visit the hospital once a week for tests and all the teachers will know about my 'condition'. All the teachers will treat me with 'baby gloves' and be all sympathetic. The students will treat me differently as well; I mean who would wanna hang out with the TB girl? They'll be scared to hang out with me in case they catch it.

I couldn't tell what Regina was thinking because I couldn't see her eyes, but she grimaced.

"Are you contagious? I'm sorry for asking you that, but my immune system isn't the strongest." She stated in an almost in an almost apologetic tone.

This is a classic example; I started to bite my bottom lip to hold back my tears. "I know for a fact that I'm not contagious. The doctors think they know everything about my medical history, but they don't. On record I may appear to be sick, but they could never imagine my condition."

I couldn't believe how much I had told this girl in a short period of time. I don't know why I felt I could trust her...maybe it was cuz she couldn't see me?

"Besides, it takes weeks of living with someone who has TB to actually catch it." I gabbled.

Regina smiled, "Are you always this anxious? Just because I can't see you doesn't mean I can't hear the tone of your voice."

I nearly fell off the chair, "Well played my friend."

She let out a gasp, "You consider me a...friend? But you don't even know me."

I rolled my eyes (its not like she could see me), "Of course I consider you a friend! My mum always told me that everybody needs a friend. And right now, you look like you could use one. Nobody deserves to be alone just cuz of one tiny thing."

I don't think I'll ever forget how happy Rio looked at that moment. "That is the nicest thing I've heard anybody say ever since I ended up in this place. Thank you Yumi, you seem like a really nice person."

I've made a new friend! It looks like those weekly visits to the hospital have just got more exciting, cuz now I have a reason to come back. I don't know how long I chatted to Regina for, but I knew it was fairly long because by the time I got ready to leave, the sky was proper black and stars covered the sky.

"Bye Regina, I have to go before Nurse 'Ratchet' catches me." I laugh before getting up.

"Bye Yumi, I hope this isn't goodbye. You better visit me again." Regina threatened me in a jokey tone.

"I wouldn't dream of it, see you soon." I leave the room but it isn't long before I bumped into a nurse...or to be more specific it was Nurse Ratchet.

And she did not look pleased, she looked annoyed.

"What are you doing out of bed at 1am?" She snarled.

I can't say I needed the toilet; I have an ensuite in my room.

"I...uh...was looking for the...vending machine cuz I'm really hungry." I stammered.

She didn't appear to buy it but fortunately she had no proof I was lying.

"If you're hungry then call a nurse next time! See to it that this doesn't happen again Miss. Tsukumo!" She grabbed my arm and started to drag me back to my room.

I was fairly certain it was a breach of my human rights, but what to do? At least I have Regina, and one day I'll find out why she's in the hospital. And maybe more about her brother, Heartland Middle School is the only middle school in the entire city. This Reginald is 14 so he possibly in the second year. I should find him and kick his arse for not visiting his twin sister!

* * *

**China: Little does Yumi know, she knows who 'Reginald' is and she even has a crush on him!**

**Yumi: No I don't! Shark is a weirdo!**

**Shark: I could say the same about-**

**China: YOUNG LOVE! Anyway, please review and I'll make sure you guys see a Yumi and Shark moment in the next chapter :3**

**Yumi + Shark: WHAT?!**

**Astrid: SO REVIEW FOR YOUNG LOVE AND SEE YOU GUYS SOON! PEPSIL RUSH BABY!**


	9. What Happened To Shark-Kun?

**China: 118 reviews?! This story is uber popular!**

**Astrid: Why did it take you nearly a month to update?**

**China: Busy with school and this story isn't getting that many reviews these days, so of course I'll forget about it!**

**Astral: Observation number 7, Fanfiction authors need their readers to remind them to update or else they won't work on the story.**

**China: *sweat drops* Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and we only have one person enter the cover competition so far: Alanna Serafina.**

**Astrid: The competition ends on the 30****th**** November 2012. So you guys still have time.**

**China: Twins, take it away!**

**Yumi + Yuma: China Smith doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal or else Yumi and Astrid would be real characters.**

**Astrid: The song of this chapter is 'Salt Skin' by Ellie Goulding because it's about running away as salt skin is a metaphor for sweat. **

**Shark: So basically this song is all about me?!**

**Yumi: Only for this chapter sweetie.**

**Shark: SWEETIE?!**

**China: ANYWAY! In this story, Rio's name will be changed to Regina! Enjoy this story!**

* * *

The last couple of weeks have been extremely chaotic for me; I haven't been able to keep up with this diary. Yuma and I have been able to acquire another Number card, but when I say Yuma, I actually mean me.

Basically Astral and Astrid got obsessed with this stupid TV program, and they believed it was real! Anyway, we ended up sneaking onto the set where we met this boy our age called Nelson Andrews aka 'The Sparrow'. To cut a long story short, he got possessed by a Number card called 'Number 83: Galaxy Queen'.

I had two reactions: one, AWESOME! Another star based Number card! Two, OH CRAP! I hope she doesn't have a really strong effect!

It turned out that you needed three Level 1 monsters to summon her. Even though it sounded really hard to summon her, trust me when I say it really wasn't. Nelson summoned her in one turn and her effect prevented all monsters on her controller's side of the field to be destroyed and she inflicted piercing Battle Damage until the opponent's next End Phase. The only good thing was that she had 500 attack and defense points.

But with 3 Overlay Units, her effect more than made up for her weak points. As soon as I saw Galaxy Queen, I knew that she had to be mine...for multiple reasons. Reason numero Uno, Galaxy Queen is a star based Number card (like Andromeda) and reason number dos, it turned out that her and Andromeda are related. That may sound incredibly weird, but nothing about my life is normal anymore.

Ever since that fateful duel that Yuma and Shark, my life has been turned upside down. Nobody can understand what I'm going through, not even Yuma. My favourite activity has now become my worst nightmare. It's like sweet torture because every time I think of dueling, I think of pain.

But I would never blame Yuma, Astral or even Astrid. They're my best friends and I love them with all my heart because they mean the world to me. So far we have collected 5 Number cards (including Andromeda and Utopia). That means we have...96 Number cards left to collect. Great (!)

Anyway, enough of these horribly depressing thoughts, I need to keep moving forward and stay alive...which isn't as easy as it sounds.

For once in his life, Yuma had left home earlier than me. Astrid had decided to tag along with Astral as Kari had been forcing me to stay home all week. I had finally been able to persuade her to let me go to school, (I just wanted things to go back to being normal) but the problem was that it was already 8:10am and I was still in my pyjamas.

By the time I got dressed, it was quarter past and I didn't have much (or anytime) to get to school. So I had to sprint to school, (Kari offered to take me on her Motorbike, buuuut I rather take my chances walking) but when I was stuck by the traffic lights, the strangest thing happened.

A burgundy bike with one wheel pulled up beside me, I thought the bike looked familiar and I realised why once the rider revealed their identity. It was Shark...except he wasn't in his uniform.

"Shark! Why aren't you in your uniform? Aren't you going to school?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes, "It figures that only you would ask me that. I don't go to school anymore; there's no point."

No point? What does he mean?

"What do you mean Shark? You're one of the smartest people I know." I lied.

I admit that it's a white lie, but Shark is a good duelist and no idiot is a great duelist.

"Don't try to humour me, cuz your one to talk. I've heard some stuff about you and I wanna know if it's true." He shrugged his shoulders.

I don't have to take this from him, but I want to get to the bottom of this.

"If you want to know the truth, then why don't you ask me at a more convenient time? Unless the big bad Shark doesn't take orders from a girl," I mocked him, "In fact what kinda name is Shark? I think I'll give you a new nickname: Octopus Head."

If I annoy him, he'll get all hyped up and be more likely to tell the truth. Yuma always rushes into something, I on the other hand always analyse the situation first.

"You know what? Forget I even asked, laters." Shark looked really pissed as he put his helmet on and drove away, leaving me startled.

Shark-kun...do you even duel anymore? I thought before I realised what I had just called him.

"Stupid!" I cursed myself before realising that I had approximately 5 minutes to get to school.

* * *

The entire class wouldn't stop staring at me. I know that you were probably expecting some kinda witty line, but I'm not that creative. Every time I coughed or moved my hand nearly my face, they would hold their breath as if I would start dying any second.

I almost got the urge to shout, "Take a picture! It'll last longer!"

But I don't wanna appear to be insane because I would really lose my credibility. As soon as the bell rung, I hugged my D-Pad to my chest and ran out of the room with my tears threatening to fall.

"Yumi-chan, stop being sad," Astrid shouted as she flew besides me.

I continued to run, not noticing my surroundings as my eyes were blurred. "I-I can't take it anymore!"

"Nani?" Astrid flew in front of me, "I thought you would be back to normal. You've already accepted that thing about you dying, and you were really happy when you collected Galaxy Queen."

"That's not the point; I want to be a normal teenage girl! But everybody looks at me like I'm a f-freak! Do you know what its li-waaaaah!" I slipped on a wet patch and for a temporary moment, I feel like I'm flying.

Until I'm stopped by a block of lockers and I felt reallllllly dizzy.

"Now hold this to your eye." Nurse Reynolds handed me a blue ice pack.

I took my right hand off my left eye and replaced it with the ice pack. "Ow, ow, o-ahhhhhh." I sigh in relief as the ice soothes my hurt eye.

"Yumi, this is the reason we have signs around." She lectured as I mentally tuned out her words, until I hear something that captures my interest.

"Maybe you were too hasty coming back to school so soon. Usually it's your brother in here every day and you're usually more attentive."

I was both offended yet flattered.

"I already have to go to the hospital once a week for tests. I just want to come back to school and try to be normal." I answered back as I took the ice pack off my bruised eye.

I don't want to end up like Shark anyway, I thought. Why did he stop going to school? And why do I care about him so much? It's probably because of this morning. And maybe it's because I view him as a friend. But even so, there's something off about him that I can't shake...

What do I actually know about Shark? Next to nothing I guess. What's his real name? Why was he kicked out of Duel Nationals last year? Why does he duel? Does he have any siblings? Why isn't he dueling anymore? Does he have a girlfriend? Wait, why do I even care?!

Could I be...falling for Shark? That can't be it; I'm just fascinated with him. Surely that must be it, it has to be that.

I need to find him and figure all this stuff out. As his friend I refuse to let him wallow in his own self pity. So I'll just beg the Nurse to let me leave, i.e. give her the old 'pity me' routine.

"Well if you're sure, I've called your sister and she's coming to pick you up. She agrees that you need to rest, you might feel a tad dizzy but that's normal." She explained as she put the ice pack back on my eye.

Great (!) Kari will be like, "I told you so." Just because she warned me not to go back to school today. Well at least I can start my hunt for Shark as soon as I get home, change my clothes and sneak out.

* * *

"Get some rest Yumi, I'll come back to check up on you later. I'll be in my room if you need me." Kari ruffled my hair before leaving my room.

I was currently in my pyjamas, lying down in my bed. I waited a good 5 minutes before throwing my covers off and changing into my normal clothes. I grabbed my D-Pad when I realised that the most important thing I owned was missing...my deck!

"Where is it?! Where is it?!" I panicked as I ran one of my hands through my hair.

That's when it hit, the last time I saw it was before I got the black eye. This is really not good! I'm doomed, that deck belonged to my mum and everybody will kill me! I only have my extra deck, so I guess it's better than nothing. I'm going to have to phone Yuma and see if he can hunt it down.

I pulled out my Duel Gazer to phone Yuma and thankfully he answered.

"Yumi! What happened to your eye?! Why aren't you in school?!" Yuma demanded.

"Long story, but I'm at home and I need you to find my deck for me. I might have lost it." I admitted.

Yuma breathed through his mouth, "Fine, where was the last place you saw it?

I grinned at him, "Somewhere near our Chemistry class. Probably near a wet puddle."  
"Okay, I'll try to find it." Yuma answered before hanging up.

I took a deep breath before digging into the bottom my closet for my special wooden box that my parents got me during their travels in Tibet. It was burgundy covered in unique paintings that apparently told the story about Buddhism.

"Aha, I've found you!" I yelled in glee before clamping my hand over my mouth.

I unlatched the box, threw all of my old drawings out before finding my very first deck. Madolche! Ahhhhh, the days of my youth! The nostalgia came flooding back to me and reminded me of better days.

* * *

_Flashback:_

**Mum: 2500  
Yumi: 1000**

Mum controlled one Constellar Omega (4/2400/500) in attack mode with two Overlay Units, and two face-down cards.

I controlled one Madolche Tiaramisu (4/2200/2100) with two Overlay units and I had no cards on my field. Thankfully it was my turn to turn this duel around.

"I activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards, but I discard two. Now by detaching an Overlay thingy from my queen, I can shuffle the two Madolche monsters I discarded into my deck. Now I get to return up to two cards on your field to your deck Mummy." I lisped as my queen absorbed one of the golden lights surrounding her into her golden sceptre.

"I choose Omega and one of your face-down cards."

Madolche Butlerusk and Madolche Marmalmaide rose from the Graveyard. They both bowed down to Tiaramisu and served her a cup of coffee and a cupcake. Butlerusk and Marmalmaide attacked Omega and a face-down card as they returned both cards to my Mum's deck and my deck.

"Now I'll attack you directly with my monster." I smiled as a face-down card was activated.

"I activate Magic Cylinder which will negate your attack and you'll take damage equal to your Tiaramisu's attack." Mum nodded as a pair of cylinders absorbed the attack before redirecting it to me.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed as I fell to the floor.

**Mum: 2500  
Yumi: 0**

I pulled my Duel Gazer off as I started to cry, "I lost again! I'll never be able to beat you, you're too good Mummy."

Mummy pulled me into her arms and started to rub my hair, "Shhhh, don't ever say that Yumi. You can always improve, in dueling _and _in life. Even though you lost today, it doesn't matter as long as you learn from today. Feel the flow as your daddy says."

* * *

**Present:**

As long as you learn from your mistakes and loses, you'll always be a winner is basically my own version of what my mum taught me.

I learnt a lot from Shark and I's very first duel, I realised my mistakes and hopefully this time I'll really 'bring it to him'! I climbed out of my bedroom window and jumped onto the top of the garage. I sat down on the edge of the garage before bending my knees so that I was ready for the impact of falling onto the grass.

"Oof!" I wheezed as I knocked the breath out of me.

After five minutes I was able to stagger to my feet and run to downtown Heartland with only one thought in my mind: To find Shark! I heard that ever since he lost that duel with Yuma, he started to hang around with a gang of violent weirdos.

My palms were really sweaty and I couldn't stop wiping them on my skirt. I knew Shark had to be in this old abandoned arcade because his motorbike was out here.

_Alright Yumi, just go in there, grab Shark by the ear and run out. Simple as ABC, _I thought before clenching my hands into fists by my side.

"What are you doing here Yumi?!" Shark announced from behind me, spooking the poop out of me.

"Shark, I'm going to kill you!" I screeched as I hurled myself at him, trying to maim his face in some way.

However Shark just grabbed my wrists with both of his hands. He took this opportunity to examine my face better, "What happened to your eye?"

I broke both my wrists out of his grip and gave him my coldest look, "Why do you even care Shark? My life was fine before you showed up and ruined it with those freaky Number cards!"

Shark turned away, "Believe what you want, but it wasn't my fault and I don't have to explain myself to you. God you're so annoying."

_Me?! Annoying?! That's it, he's going down! _I thought before I grabbed his shoulder.

"Do you even duel anymore Shark-kun? Or have you been licking your wounds since my brother beat you?" I relaxed my grip on his shoulder as his body tensed.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Shark growled as he pushed my hand off his shoulder.

"I do too, I want to help you. I've gotten beaten countless times in school, (white lie, I lose on purpose but he doesn't have to know that) but it's not a loss unless you've learnt something. When you beat me, I felt really bad because I nearly lost two important things.

"But if it wasn't for me losing, then I wouldn't have realised that I don't need my mum's deck or even her bracelet to remember her. Because she'll always live on, right here." I rested my left hand on my heart as a smile appeared on my face. "I'm sure you learnt not to underestimate your opponents when you lost to Yuma right? Or have you decided to be bitter and retire from dueling just because of one tiny loss?"

Shark didn't speak for a few minutes before he turned around to face me, "Since when were you so profound? What happened to that whiny 13 year old girl I first met?"

It was my turn to hide my face, "She was forced to grow up due to the bitter reality of life."

_I can't blame Shark for my current position; it's not his fault that he was possessed by a Number card. _

"But enough of those miserable thoughts, I want to duel you!" I exclaimed as I readied my deck.

That turned out to be the wrong thing to say, "I've retired from dueling! Leave me alone!" Shark broke off into a sprint which made me growl in frustration before following him.

_I won't let you go Shark! Not this time!_

* * *

**China: See? Shark is stealing salt skin! **

**Shark: I hate dueling! I hate Yumi! I hate you all!**

**Yumi: Really Shark-kun, because you seemed to soften up to me?**

**Shark: ...**

**Astrid: Review this chapter and what will happen next chapter? Will Yumi be able to show Shark the 'sweetness' of dueling? XD**

**Yumi: Nice pun (!) Cuz I'm using a Madolche deck which is based on sweets!**

**China: Yumi didn't get a black eye, it's simply swollen. Plus I walked into a door and the same thing happened to me, so I decided to make something similar happening to Yumi. Shark isn't the only one running away from his problems, cuz Yumi tried to do the same thing but she's being forced to stare them head on. Which is rapidly maturing her as she is realising that life is too short for all this negativity and you need to move on.**

**Yumi: Back to me, will I be able to duel Shark and convince him to go back to school? Or will I end up biting off more than I can chew? Find out next in Chapter 10: A Sweet Deck? A Sweet Solution?! **

**I'm really going to Kattobingu as Japanese Yuma says! Please review to keep China 'sweet'.**

**China: YUMI!**

**Yumi: I couldn't resist! **


	10. A Sweet Deck? A Sour Solution!

**China: 130 REVIEWS AND WE'RE NOT EVEN ON CHAPTER 10 YET?!**

**Astrid: Let me guess, those reviews inspired you to update right?**

**China:..Maybe, anyway I hope you guys enjoy this duel which took me...9 days to write!**

**Yumi: Wow, you actually updated quite quickly. **

**China: I sure did and HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL OF YOU WHO CELEBRATE IT!**

**Astral: What is Thanksgiving?**

**China: *sweat drops* I have no clue because I'm British. But my friend who lives in America told me something silly, something about ancestors luring Native Americans into a false sense of security with a big dinner, only to kill them afterwards. Then again, the boy did think Easter was about a magic bunny leaving Easter eggs...he's 15 btw. All I can say in his defense is that he is Agnostic and I'm actually not joking!**

**Astral: Observation number 8, not everybody knows why holidays are celebrated or how they started. **

**China: Tsukumo twins! Do the disclaimer!**

**Yumi + Yuma: China Smith doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal or else Yumi and Astrid would be real characters. And she would own Shark!**

**China: The cover competition ends next Friday aka 30****th**** November. The song of this chapter is 'Complicated' by Avril Lavigne. I really think it suits this chapter because of how Shark acts around other people, and how Yumi realises that Shark isn't really like that. Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

Shark tried his best to evade me, but I wasn't making it easy for him. The strangest part had to be when I cornered him back into the place we started! Both of us were out of breath, but I jumped on top of Shark before he could run.

I kneeled on his stomach and my hands were trying to pin his arms to the ground. A blush covered my cheeks when I realised how close our faces were.

"I am not going to let you go until you agree to duel me Octopus Head!" I barked at him, trying not to look into his eyes.

"Why is your face so red?" Shark tried to change the subject.

I jerked my left knee into his stomach which caused him to grunt, "None of your beeswax! Just duel me, please! I need you to duel me!"

I didn't realise how desperate I sounded, until I felt one of my tears sliding down my cheeks. I was getting so worked up; I was starting to let out angry tears.

Shark sighed, "I've retired from dueling, but if you get off me and promise to leave me alone once the duel is over, then I'll do it."

I grinned, "Thank you Shark-kun! But if I win, you need to dump those friends of yours and go back to school." I declared as I hopped off of his stomach.

He sat up, "I don't see how this is any of your business, I don't even understand how you can call me a friend. But whatever, it's your funeral _when_ I beat you."

_He's still as confident as ever, _I thought before I threw my D-Pad in the air in the air so that it could unfold while I took the rest of my Duel Disk off my waist and attached it to my left wrist.

"Duel Disk set!" I exclaimed as I attached it to my Duel Disk.

"Duel Gazer, let's go!" I exclaimed as I put on my Duel Gazer.

"**Augmented Reality vision link established." **

**Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 4000**

"Let's duel!"

"You go first Shark." I insisted.

I know that by letting Shark go first, he won't be able to inflict much damage to me this turn.

"I summon Big Jaws (3/1800/300) in attack mode!" Shark announced as his 'favourite' blue metal mouth beast appeared.

"Look, it's my 'favourite' monster of yours." I stated sarcastically.

Shark smirked, "Glad you like him cuz when a Fish-Type monster is summoned to my side of the field, I get to special summon Shark Stickers (3/200/1000) in attack mode."

A blue eel type monster joined Big Jaws and it had like this pad stuck to its head.

My eyes widened instantly, _he's going to Xyz summon!_

"I overlay both my monsters to form the Overlay Network so I can Xyz summon! Come on out Submersible Carrier Aero Shark (4/1900/1000) in attack mode!" Shark shouted as his two monsters turned into blue spirals which flew into a red portal thing.

In its place appeared two orange mechanical sharks that were conjoined.

I bit my bottom lip as I remembered Aero Shark's effect.

"By detaching an Overlay Unit, you take 400 points of damage for each card in my hand! I have four cards, so you lose 1600 Life Points." Shark explained as one of the blue Overlay Units were absorbed by Aero Shark. It then promptly hit me with four missiles.

"Uh," I covered my head with my hands as I took damage which caused me to fall on the floor.

**Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 2400**

"I set one card face-down and it's your move Yumi. So get up...or stay down. Either way, I don't care." He shrugged as I got off the ground.

"Nice move Shark, I really liked it. Now I draw! I activate Double Summon which lets me normal summon twice this turn. I summon Madolche Magileine (4/1400/1200) in attack mode, followed by Madolche Butlerusk (4/1500/800) in attack mode. When Magileine is normal summoned, I can add one Madolche monster to my hand. I choose Madolche Puddingcess, plus when Butlerusk is summoned alongside another Madolche, I can add 1 Field Spell from my deck to my hand. I choose Madolce Chateau." I sighed as a butler and a purple haired witch with a dessert broom appeared on my field.

"Now I overlay level 4 Butlerusk and Magileine to build the Overlay Network, so I can Xyz summon Madolche Tiaramisu (4/2200/2100) in attack mode." I announced as my monsters turned into two brown spirals before disappearing into a red portal.

A very regal looking women with silver hair appeared on the field, and she was sitting on a candy throne.

Shark looked flabbergasted (it's a very cool word) as he examined my monster. "This is not your deck!"

I giggled, "Au contraire mon ami, this is my real deck. I use my mum's deck in order to remember her. When she disappeared, I was absolutely devastated. So I use her deck when I duel, so that it feels like she is right there with me when I duel. I mean hello! Did you miss my awesome monologue that I told you thirty minutes ago?!

"Anywho, I play Graceful Charity to draw three cards but I have to discard two. Now I detach one Overlay Unit from my queen, so I can shuffle two Madolche monsters from my Graveyard to my deck. In return, I get to return two cards you control into your deck. I choose your face-down and your Aero Shark." I said as Shark gritted his teeth together.

"But that means my Aero Shark gets sent back to my extra deck!" He exclaimed as my queen absorbed one of her Overlay Units into her staff, before brown light hits both of Shark's monsters and sends them to his decks.

"Now I equip my lovely queen with Black Pendant, so her attack increases by 500 making her new attack that you're defenceless, Tiaramisu can attack you directly!" I shouted as Tiaramisu attacks Shark with a beam of bright light.

"Ah!" He grunted as his Life Points decreased.

**Shark: 1300  
Yumi: 2400**

"I now place one card face-down to end my turn." I giggled as Shark furrowed his brow.

_My face-down is Safe Zone, so Shark better be careful. Plus Safe Zone will let me save my monster from being destroyed, but my monster won't be able to attack directly. _I thought as he drew a card.

"I summon Skull Kraken (3/600/1600) in attack mode and use its effect to destroy your Black Pendant." He stated as his grey squid like monster had black ink coming out of his mouth which destroyed my spell card.

**Shark: 900  
Yumi: 2400**

"You know that Black Pendant inflicts 500 points of damage to my opponent if it's destroyed." I explained as Shark rolled his eyes.

"To win a duel, you need to be willing to lose some Life Points in the process. Now I activate Surface to special summon Big Jaws (3/1800/300) in attack mode. I Overlay my Skull Kraken and Big Jaws to form the Overlay Network so I can Xyz Summon Aero Shark (3/1900/1000) in attack mode. I detach an Overlay Unit; you know what this card already does." Shark sneered as his orange shark pelted me with 800 points of damage which blew me off my feet _again_.

**Shark: 900  
Yumi: 1600**

"But I'm not done yet! I activate Aqua Jet which increases Aero Shark's attack by 1000 until the end phase, so its current attack is 2900!" He explained as two aqua jets attached themselves to the sides of Aero Shark.

"So Aero Shark, attack Madolche Queen Tiaramisu with Devouring Dive!"

Aero Shark dove towards Tiaramisu, just as I activated my face-down.

"I activate the continuous trap: Safe Zone which saves Tiaramisu from being destroyed via battle or your card effects." I yelped as I jumped to my feet.

A crystal structure appears behind Tiramisu and these two tentacle things wrap themselves around her as Aero Shark dove towards Tiramisu.

"Uhhhhh," I manage to stand my ground as so does Tiaramisu.

**Shark: 900  
Yumi: 900**

"You still take damage though and our Life Points are now equal." He noted.

"I'll set this card face-down to end my turn."

_Alright, I'm now tied with Shark and he has no more cards in his hand. My queen has one Overlay Unit which I can use to shuffle his monster back into his extra deck. _I thought.

_But his face-down concerns me, Shark uses all his cards to advantage and he's a worthy adversary. Although, do I really want to win this duel? Shark isn't a thug, though he's joined a gang of thugs. Nonetheless, it's still his life and I don't have any right to interfere._

"I-I-I attack Aero Shark with Tiaramisu," I stuttered as Tiramisu raised her staff to attack.

Shark instantly activated his face-down which was Zeus Breath!

"I activate Zeus Breath to negate your attack and since I control a face-up WATER monster, you lose 800 Life Points." He yelled as a grey mist figure appears in front of Shark, points his staff at me and a huge wave of water swarms the field and knocks me off my feet.

**Shark: 900  
Yumi: 100**

Once the water disappears, I realise I'm down to my final 100 Life Points!

"I set two cards face-down to end my turn."

_My face-down cards are Magic Cylinder and Hallowed Life Barrier. This duel is mine to win. _I try to keep my face neutral. _But should I choose to activate it if the time comes? I can't afford to be selfish; I need to put somebody else's interests before my own._

"Shark, do you really want to stay with that gang?" I asked him with a sorrowful look on my face.

His face softens, as if he's remembering something. "I have nowhere else to go, nobody to turn to. So in answer to your question, yes I want to stay!"

_I'm going to regret this, but I have no choice. I just want Shark to be happy, as long as he's happy with the choices he's making, them I'm sure I'll be happy as well._

"Now what should I do? I think I'll use my Aero Shark's effect to detach an Overlay Unit so you'll take 400 points of damage this turn!" Shark snickered as Aero Shark flew towards me and used one of its torpedo's.

I decided _against _using Hallowed Life Barrier, even though it would have saved me from losing.

"Noooooooo!" I tried to fight against the force of the attack, but I ended up falling off my feet and landing on my back.

**Shark: 900  
Yumi: 0**

**Shark wins**

Shark and I both take off our Duel Gazers as we stare at each other.

"Darn it! Looks like I have a long way to go before I win in a duel against you." I smiled at him before he appeared in front of me

He did _not _look amused.

"What was that?!" He demanded.

I tried to act clueless but Shark didn't buy it, "What was wha-"

"Cut the act! You let me win! Who sets two spell or trap cards without activating them?"

I bite my bottom lip as I stood up, "They were just to scare you! It was a bluff!"

"Stop lying! In our last duel you led me on, you tried to make me think that you knew nothing about dueling when you actually did. So tell me the truth Yumi, did you let me win?" He asked.

I turned my head to the side, "No comment. Now if you excuse me, I have to go home."

But just as I got ready to leave, Shark grabbed my left arm and took the two face-down cards that were still on my Duel Disk.

"Hey! Don't look at those cards!" I screeched as I pounced onto him, but he dodged it.

"Hallowed Life Barrier and Magic Cylinder, I knew it! You let me win! Did you let me win our last duel as well?!" Shark dropped my cards to the floor as he grabbed both of my arms and forced me to look into his rage filled eyes.

"I admit I let you win this duel! But our last duel you won all on your own!" I tried to break out of his grip but he simply tightened it which caused me to grit my teeth in pain.

Shark's eyes widened as he realised something, "I heard that you lose almost every time you duel. At first I thought you generally couldn't duel, but now it all makes sense. You lose all your duels on purpose don't you?"

I take this opportunity to break out of his grip and rub my arms.

"Guess its time for me to tell the truth. I love dueling, but every time a person wins a duel, more people look up to them in respect you know? This causes the duelist to have more fans and that means more people watching every time that duelist duels which equals pressure. Dueling may be fun, but I can't stand everybody looking at me all the time. What if I do become a well known duelist? If that happens then I'll have more pressure on me to win every duel and I won't be able to have fun while dueling.

I rather lose every duel on purpose than win every duel." I finished as Shark backed away from me.

"So why did you choose to win this duel? Cuz you pitied me?!" He snarled.

"No! It's just...I want you to be happy-"He interrupted me.

"I never want to see you again! Go away! Leave me alone! And if I ever see you on this side of town again, you'll live to regret it." Shark threatened me as my tears started to spill down my cheeks.

"You can't mean that!" I choked on my words.

"Just go! Go!" He roared.

This time I took the hint and ran away from that place as fast as I could, forgetting the two cards that Shark had taken off of me.

_I've ruined everything! Shark hates me and he'll probably never forgive me! _

My eyes were blurred from all of my tears, leaving my vision obscured. I inevitably ran into somebody and nearly fell down.

"Yumi, what's wrong?! Who did this to you?!" Yuma demanded as I fell into his arms and cried into his chest.

"Oh Yuma, I've ruined everything!" I wailed as I released all of my sorrow.

* * *

**Yumi: WHAT. THE. FUCK?! **

**China: I felt like doing this because it seems realistic, plus we get to see some of Yumi's faults.**

**Shark: And there are a lot of them! **

**Yumi: WHAT'S THAT MEANT TO MEAN?!**

**China: Uh oh! Please leave a review, hope you enjoyed this chapter and watch out for Chapter 11: A Tag Duel Of Hope Part 1.**


	11. Stealing For Beginners

**China: My exams are finished! So I'm back! I also started a new Harry Potter story called 'The Chronicles of Bree Potter' which is a story for my little brother. YOU GUYS BETTER READ IT!**

**Yumi: Last "episode" of YTS, I was crying like a bitch because of Shark -_-**

**China: Yep, that sounds about right. Sorry if this chapter is shit, I've only just got back into writing and I'm a tad rusty XD**

**Astrid: That's one word for it. Anyway, read **_**Yugioh ZEXAL: Barian Storm **_**by K.I.T.T. RIDER. It is an awesome story that is about Kaito/Kite having a twin sister and it's a rewrite of Zexal II. It is really creative and unique and who knows, maybe later China might ask KITT if she could borrow Asaya for this story ;)**

**Yumi: Astrid! **

**Astrid: Yumi! **

**China: JUST DO THE DISCLAIMER YOU TWO!**

**Yumi + Astrid: CHINA SMITH DOES NOT OWN ZEXAL! OR ELSE KITE WOULD BE 16 AND ATTENDING HEARTLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL!**

**China:...You guys do realise I have the power to do that in this story right?**

* * *

I've never had this much trouble stopping my tears before; not even when I found out that my parents had disappeared. But now because of some dumb boy, I'm spilling my guts. I don't know what I'm going to tell Yuma, if I tell him that Shark was the one responsible for my tears, Yuma would murder him. I'm going to have to lie through my teeth.

"What do you mean by ruined everything?" Yuma demanded as he passed me a tissue to dry my tears with.

I imagined that I looked like a real mess with my tearstained cheeks and red face. At least I had decent nose control; my snot wasn't trickling down my nose and into my mouth.

"I-I saw this cat and it walked into the road, there wasn't anything I could do. It got run over by a passing car which didn't even stop, I just feel like I could have done something." I lied as I dabbed my cheeks.

Tori and Bronk were accompanying Yuma and Tori looked sad when I mentioned the cat.

"That sounds really sad, that poor kitty." Tori's eyes started to glaze over in thought.

Yuma looked suspicious which caused my tummy to flip over.

He isn't buying it! I need to get away from Yuma before he can figure out I'm lying.

"Why aren't you at home? You know your immune system is delicate because of that entire TB scare. Plus what if Kari finds out that you're not in bed? She'll be ready to end your life!" Yuma exclaimed as he winked at me when he said 'TB scare'.

I assumed it was because Tori and Bronk were there that Yuma chose to lie about my real condition. Still, Yuma has a point because all this stress and trauma is getting to me.

"I'll just make my way home before Kari can catch me then. And why aren't you in school?!" I rolled my eyes at Yuma.

Yuma gave me a funny look, "Its 4pm. You know, school's finished. I'm going to find Shark because I heard that ever since my duel with him, he's stopped going to school."

Oh, well that makes sense.

"Well I'll see you at home Yuma, good luck with the Shark thing." I smiled at him before leaving. However, Yuma grabbed arm to stop me from leaving. I gave him a puzzled look as he pulled out a familiar looking black deck pouch.

"I found your deck, it turned out that Flip had pinched it in all the confusion. I counted all of your cards and I don't think any of your cards are missing." He informed me as I quickly flicked through my deck. Nothing appeared to be missing, but my cards look outdated; I may stop off at the card shop on the way home. I'll still kill Flip when I get back to school though.

"You always know how to cheer me up." I joked as Yuma gave me a small smile.

"Hehe, I'll phone you when I find Shark. Get well soon Yumi." He waved at me before continuing his walk into the slums of Heartland City.

"See you later Yumi." Tori added as she ran after Yuma.

"Yeah laters Yumi," Bronk followed Tori and Yuma which caused me to shake my head in disbelief.

Those two would follow Yuma to the ends of the Earth; but then again, so would I. Though at least I kinda have an excuse, I mean he is my brother and I can't let him get into these hair brained schemes on his own. Well today can be an exception to that rule because even I need to take a day off from the full time job that is taking care of Yuma; I'm sure he'll be fine.

I need some me time; I have…¥1003 in my purse. Dang it, this won't be enough to completely refurbish my deck! Maybe I can barter with the shopkeeper on certain cards, or trade some cards from my Madolche deck. At this point I'm willing to consider all my options, just as long as I get some new cards to prepare for my rematch with Shark. Or just in case I bump into any Number holders. Eh, whichever comes first.

* * *

"Cooooooool, Copycat! Cyber Dragon, Ghost Ship! I feel like a kid in a candy store." I giggled as I admired the card displays.

Copycat will be a wonderful addition to my deck. It may have 0 attack and defense points, but its ability more than makes up for its lack of points. I can choose one face-up monster my opponent controls and Illusion Ice Sculpture will copy that monster's original attack and defense points. Plus it's a level one monster and my opponent can only attack Copycat, so I can use Baby Tiragon to use Copycat to attack my opponent directly.

Cyber Dragon is a fairly strong level 5 monster it can be special summoned if my opponent controls a monster and I don't. Plus if I combine it with Ghost Ship which is a level 5 monster that may be weaker than Cyber Dragon, but it can be summoned by banishing a LIGHT attribute monster from my graveyard. It'll allow me to summon Andromeda quickly and Illusion Ice Sculpture, Cyber Dragon and Ghost Ship are all LIGHT attribute monsters, so Luminous Spark will give them a power boost.

Only problem is...Cyber Dragon is worth over ¥5000 because its 40 years old! It dates back to the time of Jaden and Jamie Yuki. It was Zane Truesdale's signature card (not the actual card in the display of course) so that only adds to its value. Maybe I can barter with the shopkeeper.

I took Ghost Ship and Copycat off the shelf and rushed to the till. Since the shopkeeper wasn't here, I started to abuse the doorbell until he showed up with an angry look on his face.

"Must you abuse my bell?" He sighed as he tried to calm himself down.

I shrugged my shoulders at him, "I'm in a rush. I need to buy new cards in order to duel one of my friends who needs my help but he won't admit it. Then I need to hunt down these cards."

By hunting down new cards, I mean hunting down those who are possessed by those pesky Number cards. The man held out his right hand, which indicated that he wanted me to hand him the cards I want to buy. He scanned the barcodes which made a small 'beep' sound, "That'll be... ¥637 please."

I handed him a few coins and in return, he placed my cards into a small white bag which was emblazoned with the shop's logo.

"Thanks," I smiled at him before batting my eyelashes. "I was wondering if I could buy Cyber Dragon."

"Fine, just give me ¥5068 and I'll give it to you." He smiled as he held out his hand in an expectant way.

I started to twirl my hair around my right index finger, "Yeah, but don't you think ¥5068 is a little steep for a 13 year old girl?"

Maybe if I act all sweet and innocent, he might lower the price. Unfortunately he laughed in my face.

"Unless you have a rare card, the price of Cyber Dragon won't change. Don't you know how rare it is?! This card comes from a time of legends! You should be glad I'm not charging more for this superb card!" he ranted as I flipped through my Constellar deck and pulled out one of my favourite LIGHT monsters that has saved me more times than I care to count.

"Would Effect Veiler suffice? Seriously dude, how many Tuner monsters do you see these days? It's all Xyz monsters! Plus this card was manufactured 20 years ago during the time of Yusei Fudo, but if you don't want it..." I trailed off as he snatched Effect Veiler out of my hand.

_Alright, I just hope that he doesn't examine that card too closely or else he'll find out it's a fake. _

I know I look and act like I play by the rules, but sometimes playing by the rules gets you nowhere in life. Besides in the future, Cyber Dragon may end up helping me save the world.

"This seems...acceptable. Alright, here's Cyber Dragon." He took out a key to unlock one of the glass displays and plucked out a Cyber Dragon card before handing it to me. I threw the card into my bag before speed walking out of the shop and running back home. One thing was for certain, I was never going back to that shop again.

I climbed back through my bedroom, changed back into my pyjamas, ruffled my hair and unlocked my bedroom door. I started to yawn and act really tired as I walked downstairs into the kitchen where Grandma was preparing dinner.

"Hey Grandma, need any help?" I asked as I faked a yawn.

She looked startled as she turned around, "Yumi, shouldn't you be in bed resting?"

I pouted, "If I spend any more time in my bed, I'll get some bedsores. Where's Yuma?"

Grandma started to tap her chin, "I don't know, he was supposed to come back home from school over an hour ago. He's probably out dueling; he'll be back soon though, considering it's nearly time for dinner."

I nodded my head in agreement, _if she knew where Yuma was, I don't think she would be as understanding. Still, it is getting late. I really hope Yuma doesn't find Shark because Shark might tell Yuma about our duel. Why does my life sound so much like a soap opera? I'm 13; I shouldn't have to deal with all this unnecessary stress. _

"You're right, I'm sure he's fine." I laughed, "Well I'm going back to my bed, and can you call me when dinner is ready?"

She smiled at me, "Of course, I don't want people to accuse me of not feeding you properly."

"Alright, thank you." I tried to leave the kitchen when Grandma started to talk.

"Oh and Yumi, next time you sneak out of the house to duel, make less noise."

I remained silent as I exited the room, _dang it! It's like she knows and sees everything going on in this house!_

* * *

**China: I know this is dead, but I'm a tad rusty. The FULL tag duel will take place next chapter AND IT WILL BE AWESOME! **

**Rio: What am I even doing here? **

**Yumi: You're in the crazy zone! Stay tuned next chapter Rio because I'm going to duel with your super hot brother!**

**Rio: DO NOT CALL HIM SUPER HOT!**

**Shark: Damn girls. **


	12. The Tag Duel Of Hope!

**China: DUN DUN DAHHHHHH! WELCOME TO MY LONGEST CHAPTER! **

**Yumi: I can't believe its nearly 12,000 words!**

**Yuma: Or that she updated this quickly!**

**China: I told you guys I was pumped! Plus after I update with this chapter, I can start writing about...**

**Kite: Me!**

**Asaya: And me!**

**China: Yep! Next chapter will be awesome! Now Tenjo twins, do the disclaimer...even though I'm not introducing you to this story...****_yet._**

**Asaya + Kite: CHINA SMITH DOES NOT OWN YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL OR ELSE THE EVENTS IN THIS STORY WOULD BE CANON!**

**Astral: Observation number 9, writing about certain events encourage writers to write and update more. The song of this chapter is 'Rolling in the Deep' by Adele.**

**Note: I have changed Constellar Schet's ability, so it could be used for the Xyz summon of Baby Tiragon. **

* * *

**Bronk: 2550  
Yumi: 700**

Bronk had no face-down cards on the field, but he had his best card on the field: Tinplate Archduke (4/2200/1200). It basically looked like an archduke with an unsightly blonde moustache, plus it looked like a child's toy as it was made out of metal. Its special ability had put me into a few tight spots, but at least Bronk has used all of its Overlay Units, and best of all it's my turn.

I may have no cards on my field, but I do have a very good hand. I've been losing this duel on purpose because I want to see if I'll be able to use my dueling skills to wiggle myself out of this tight spot.

"I draw! All right Bronk, it's been fun dueling but prepare to lose! I set one card face-down and since you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon Constellar Schet (1/100/1600) from my hand and onto the field!" I exclaimed as a small man wearing silver armour and carrying a large silver rocket with the Constellar crest on it appeared. He threw the rocket in the air before catching its handle and posing as the Aquarius sign appeared behind him with star backing.

"Now I activate Inferno Reckless Summon which allows me to special summon all the Constellar Schet's in my deck, just as long as I special summoned a monster with 1500 or less this turn and you control a face-up monster. Unfortunately you can summon all the Tinplate Archduke's from your deck, but I don't think you own any other copies of Tinplate Archduke." I stated in a thoughtful tone as Bronk nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah you're right. I can also see that you have 3 level 1 monsters on your field, but I'm not that worried because there aren't any powerful rank 1 monsters." Bronk answered as he laughed.

I winked at him, "Guess we'll soon find out because I overlay my 3 level 1 Constellar Schets in order to build the Overlay Network and Xyz summon Baby Tiragon (1/900/900) in attack mode!" I shouted as my three monsters turned into yellow beams of light and flew into a red portal that had suddenly appeared on ground in front of me.

A white, orange and pink stripped monster that resembled a calico cat jumped out of the portal with a big smile on its face, as three beams of yellow light encircled it.

Tori and the other girls who were watching the duel started to coo over Baby Tiragon.

"Its sooooo cute, I want one!"

"I wonder if they sell any plushie's of it?!"

"I just wanna hug it!"

I ignored them as I got ready to finish this duel.

"But I'm not done yet, Bronk! I still haven't normal summoned, so welcome Copycat (1/0/0) to the stage!" I slapped my new card onto my Duel Disk.

"Ha! 0 attack and defence points! Not your best move Yumi!" Bronk chuckled as he pointed at Illusion Ice Sculpture.

It was now my turn to laugh, "Special ability, ever heard of it? When Copycat is summoned, I can choose one face-up monster on the field and copy its attack and defence points. Also while Copycat is on the field, you can't attack any other monster on the field. I choose Tinplate Archduke, so Copycat now has 2200 attack points and 1200 defense points. Plus I equip Copycat with Black Pendant to raise its attack by 500, making its new attack 2700." I explained as Copycat transformed into a perfect copy of Tinplate Archduke before a black pendant appeared around its neck.

Bronk's grin dropped, "So you'll be destroying Tinplate Archduke with Copycat and then use Baby Tiragon for a direct attack right? Even still, I'll only lose 1400 Life Points; I'll still have 1150 which is still more than you."

I winked at him, "That's what I would be doing, if it wasn't for Baby Tiragon's special ability. By detaching one Overlay Unit from Baby T, I can select one level 1 monster on my field and it can attack directly. Even though Copycat may have copied Tinplate Archduke's attack and defense points, its level hasn't increased so it is still level 1."

Baby Tiragon ate one of its Overlay Units, flew under Copycat and started to fly it over to Bronk (although Baby T was flying slowly due to the current size of Copycat).

"What! You have to be cheating!" Bronk started to panic slightly.

"Read the rule book, now Copycat will attack you with Archduke's Single Blow!" Baby Tiragon and Illusion Ice Sculpture both flew past Tinplate Archduke before Illusion Ice Sculpture slashed Bronk with its sword.

"AAAAAAAHHHHH," he screamed as he flew backwards.

**Bronk: 0  
Yumi: 700**

**WIN: YUMI **

The AR vision field started to disappear, so I took off my Duel Gazer and went over to Bronk to help him up.

"Are you alright Bronk? That was a really good duel." I grinned as Bronk took off his own Duel Gazer.

"Man, you've improved Yumi! You've beaten Yuma, Caswell, Cathy and even some random people from different years- all in one day! What happened to the girl who used to lose every duel?" He joked.

I tapped the side of my nose, "A girl is allowed to have some secrets you know."

Before Bronk could answer, a gaggle of boys from different years appeared.

"Can I help you boys?" I asked before one second year boy jumped in front of me.

"You're Yumi Tsukumo, right?" He asked.

"Who wants to know?" I answered curtly.

"I'm Darren King and you beaten several of my friends today. I wanna duel you to see just how good you are." Darren replied as the rest of the boys tried to push him out of the way.

"Don't duel this dipstick, duel me instead!"

"No me! I can show you a good time!"

_Oh great, this is exactly what I feared would happen if I started dueling properly! I seem to have attracted the attention of half the male students in the school! _

However I managed to keep my calm, all I had to do was use somebody as a scapegoat in order for me to make my escape. Suddenly I remembered what Flip had done to me two days ago and I had come up with a plan.

I smiled as innocently as I could before placing my finger on my chin, "You guys are so adorable, and I would love to duel each and every one of you. But since my last opponents weren't very challenging, the only way you can duel me is if you beat this first year; his name is Flip. So the lucky people who manage to beat Flip will be allowed to duel me. Happy dueling you guys."

They immediately ran off to find Flip before I had finished my last sentence; I started to laugh once they were out of hearing distance.

"Boys are so easy to manipulate." I laughed before Tori scolded me.

"Yumi, you better not be doing this to get revenge on Flip." Tori scoffed.

I shrugged my shoulders at her, "Tori if I bothered to duel all those boys, I would be here all night and I have to be at the hospital in 30 minutes. I'm just testing my new cards."

_Yeah and my new cards seemed to have made all the difference. I think I'm ready to stand against Shark again...well without bursting into tears anyway. _

Yuma high fived me, "Way to feel the flow sis, though why did you send everyone against Flip? I would be perfectly happy dueling them for you."

I patted his shoulder, "No offence Yuma, but everybody knows your not the toughest duelist around. Besides it's the end of school, let's leave before those guys come back!"

I packed away my Duel Gazer and my Duel Disk before I realised that Yuma was preparing for a duel against Bronk.

"You go ahead; all this dueling has really gotten me pumped!" Yuma drew his starting hand and I realised that if I waited for him, I would be here for hours.

"Alright Yuma, I'll phone you when I've finished at the hospital." I sighed as I walked out of school.

"Good luck at the hospital Yumi." Tori added as she put her Duel Gazer back on.

_I can't believe that Yuma would be so selfish; I might need him for moral support! Still I shouldn't complain, it's been a week since I last visited Regina. I hope that Reginald has visited her, although I still don't know who he is. I've been asking a few students about him, but without his surname it'll be hard to narrow it down._

* * *

"...and that is why monkeys shouldn't fly." I finished as Regina laughed.

"I don't understand...I thought you were telling me about how your day went?" She asked.

Regina looked a whole lot better than from when I had last seen her; more of the bandages from her arms had been removed. My appointment with the doctor had gone quite well, although she did say that I've lost 3 pounds since last week. She thinks it's due to me being in the early stages of TB, when in actual fact; it's due to my loss of appetite because of the Shark situation.

"Sorry about that Regina, my mind wandered during the last part of my story. I meant to say 'and that's why boys should think twice before dueling me'." I corrected myself.

I think she smiled at that comment, "Nice analysis. I hate how boys think that females are just pretty decorations when we're so much more than that. How did your appointment go anyway?"

"Well she was very thorough and I mean thorough. The amount of boundaries that woman crossed..." I shuddered at the events that had taken place nearly 30 minutes ago.

"That sounds...awful. But at least the nurses here don't have to see you naked every day; I'm still not strong enough to get out of bed without any assistance. It doesn't help that Reginald still doesn't visit me; he's one of the only things that help me get through my time here. I'm usually really independent, but that was before I got put in this hospital." I felt extremely sorry for Regina; you could really hear the sorrow in her voice.

"I suppose I'm lucky to even be alive though," she continued. "If it wasn't for my saviour, I wouldn't have been able to make it out of that warehouse alive. If I ever find out who that person is, I don't know how I'll ever repay them. I mean they risked their own life to save me."

_Something tells me Regina's accident is more tragic than I originally thought. I wonder what caused her to be wrapped in bandages like a mummy._

"I'm sure the person who saved you, thinks that saving your life is enough payment." I patted her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

"Thanks for visiting me, its refreshing considering Reginald seems to have abandoned me. You seem to be keeping your promise so far, but sooner or later you're going to forget me; just like my brother has."

_Okay its official, until this 'Reginald' starts to visit Regina again, I don't think she'll be making any more progress. _

"Regina, I'm sure Reginald has a good reason for not visiting you. Maybe he's busy at school, or he got a part-time job and he's too tired to visit you?" I suggested before she tried to shake her head.

"Reginald wouldn't stop visiting me because of those trivial things! There has to be something seriously wrong with him! My brother wouldn't stop visiting me if he didn't have a good reason!" One of the monitors on the side of her bed started to beep very loudly.

It wasn't long before one of the nurses rushed in and started to check Regina. "I'm afraid you're going to have to leave! All this stress isn't good for Regina!"

"Reginald!" Regina screeched as she started to lash out, causing the nurse to pull out a syringe which she injected into one of the plastic tubes that was inserted into Regina's arm. I assumed the nurse was administering some kind of sedative to Regina's drip because her thrashing started to slow down before stopping all together.

_Was it my fault that Regina got all worked up? No, that can't be it, it seemed to be the anger that she was feeling towards Reginald and she was trying to find some way to release it. Still, I had my part to play in this entire episode. I really need to find out who this Reginald is. _

As soon as the nurse had checked to see that everything was alright with Regina, she threw me out of the room and eventually the hospital.

"If you visit Regina again and cause her to have another episode, I'll ban you from visiting her altogether!" She snapped as I growled at her.

"Me? You should be blaming her brother for this! Obviously you don't understand the bonds that some siblings share!" I snarled before turning on my heels and storming away from that bitch of a nurse.

_How dare she have the audacity to criticise me?! It's not like Regina was shouting at me to get out! If she was then I would obviously leave, but she was calling for her brother! _

Suddenly a scrawny, red-haired boy bumped into me which broke me out of my thoughts. I recognised him from two days ago, when I was trying to find Shark.

"Hey, what's the rush?" I grabbed his left arm in order to stop him from running.

The next three words that came out of his mouth caused my blood to run cold. "Shark's...in...trouble." he panted.

"What! What do you mean Shark's in trouble?!" I demanded as I took my hand off his arm.

"He and the other guys are going to break into the museum and steal this rare deck. It's all cuz of those cards they got; ever since they got them they've been doing crazier and crazier things!" He exclaimed.

Astrid chose that moment to appear, "I heard crazy! Who's crazy?!"

I ignored her; it seems that the leaders of Shark's gang are possibly possessed by Number cards. I mean, what other cards have the ability to completely change people?!

"But once they steal the deck, they're going to let Shark take all the blame-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I was off like a lightning bolt.

_Even though you don't deserve my help Shark, I'm not letting you spend the next few years in Juvie! _

"I see, even though Shark-sama hurt you, you still want to help him right?" Astrid asked as she floated alongside me.

I nodded as I ran back home to change me my clothes. "Shark may have a lot of issues, but he's still my friend because he needs one; even if he won't admit it. Also, WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT CALLING HIM SAMA?!"

"Oh look at the time, I'll just be..." she immediately disappeared, probably back into my bracelet.

* * *

I didn't tell Yuma that I was heading to the museum, I felt like this was something that I needed to do alone. Plus if anything went wrong, I could just get Astrid to go get help or use my Duel Gazer to phone someone. I spent the next hour hidden in front of Heartland Museum; if Shark was coming then I would be able to see him.

"Do you really think Shark-kun is gonna go through with this?" Astrid asked as she started to lie on her back, levitating.

I sat down and sighed, "To be honest, I have no clue and even if he isn't, those gang leaders are most likely possessed by Number cards; it's our duty to catch all the Number cards."

"Fair point Yumi-chan. But still, are you sure you're strong enough to duel those guys?" She asked.

"...did you not see me beat those people in the last two days?"

She shook her head, "That's not what I meant Yumi, I mean are you _physically _strong? Because don't forget, when you lose Life Points in a Numbers duel, you also start to lose your life force. So let me ask you again, are you _sure _you're up to this?"

Before I could answer, I heard the roar of motorbikes and I could see three figures riding up to the museum. "I guess we'll find out."

I jumped out of my hiding spot and ran to the front of the museum.

"Who are you?" One of guys said.

I nearly jumped in fright, that guy was huge! He had tanned skin, bulging muscles, dark brown eyes and short brown hair that resembled dreadlocks. He also wore thick silver chains for bracelets, which just screamed danger to me.

The guy next to him was less intimidating, but his eyes were cold. He had pale skin, short black hair and a slender frame, but he still carried a look of cockiness on his face.

The last figure was Shark and his eyes widened; I assumed it was because he didn't expect to see me.

I tried my best not to show any fear; if I showed any sign of weakness then I wouldn't last two seconds in this game.

"Who am I? That's quite a generic term because I go by many names. However, tonight you can call me the girl that's going to take you down." I stated as the two men laughed. I could see a red aura surround them both, but what really confirmed my suspicions was when I saw the number '19' and '61' appear on their arms.

"Don't make me laugh, kid!" The muscular guy chuckled.

"This isn't a sandbox you want to play in." The slender guy added.

"Yumi-chan, can you see what I see?" Astrid exclaimed as she pointed at their arms.

"That I do Astrid, they both have Number cards!" I snarled. "If you guys take one more step, then I'm afraid we'll have to duel which will be bad news for you!"

"Is that so?" Muscle guy asked.

"Then what's the wager?" Slender guy enquired.

I tightened my fist before taking out my 3 Number cards out of my Extra Deck, "If you do defeat me, my Number cards are yours." I fanned them out so that everybody could clearly see them. "But if I win, you all have to leave this museum."

The duo started to nudge each other before pulling out their Xyz monsters, my eyes widened when I realised they were Number cards.

"Her cards are just like ours Scorch!" Slender guy informed the muscle guy (whose name I now realised was Scorch).

"I get it, these cards are called Number cards...imagine how strong we would be with more than two!" Scorch sneered. "Are you sure you want to do this kid?"

I shot them both my most fierce look, "I can take you both on!"

Shark actually looked worried for once; I knew he secretly cared about me (I hope). "Yumi, don't be an idiot! I mean two on one? That's suicide, especially because you never take dueling seriously!"

"I do too take dueling seriously...well Number duels anyway. And I refuse to let you throw your life away Shark! Don't you see that you have so much to live for?" I asked with a sad expression on my face.

"Save it Yumi! I don't need you looking out for me! I'm fine by myself." Shark answered.

"These thugs are just using you! Once they steal this rare deck, they'll let you take the fall and you'll be on a one-way trip to Juvie! What do you think your parents would say? How would your siblings react if they found out you were throwing your life away?" I was starting to throw anything random out there, hoping that at least something would strike a chord.

Shark just _smirked_ like everything was just a joke, "How do you know that I'm not just using them? Either way, I'm right where I belong Yumi."

This was _so _not on! Doesn't Shark realise that some people actually care about him?! For some reason this reminds me of Regina and Reginald, like how Reginald doesn't visit Regina anymore which is hindering Regina's recovery.

"But you're better than this Shark! What happened to the guy who was in last year's Duel Nationals and nearly won?! Where's the guy who knows his way around a WATER deck? I'm going to get you to cut your ties with these lowlifes and get you back to school so that you have a decent future! Even if I die this duel, at least I can say that I tried!" I took a deep breath after I finished my tirade because I didn't breathe at all.

Shark looked shell shocked, "Why do you care what happens to me anyway?! Or are you just one of those annoying fangirls who pretend they care so they can just get close to me?"

"Are you really that blind?! I care because you're my friend Shark! My mum taught me that everybody needs a friend at some stage in their lives, and the fact that you're ruining your life is enough evidence to show that _you _need one!" I chided.

Shark remained silent; I hope he's thinking about what I just said.

Slender guy started to snicker, "Let me just get one thing clear, little girl; when you challenge one of us, you challenge _all _of us."

"Yumi, this situation does not look good! He wants this duel to be three on one!" Astrid informed me as she started to panic.

_If I summon Andromeda right off the bat, I should be able to stall against all of them and if I summon Galaxy Queen, then that would really guarantee my victory. _

Scorch was about to talk when I interrupted him, "Blah blah yeah I know its going to be a three on one duel. I'm still going to take you guys down because as long as I have a noble reason to duel, I'm never going to lose!"

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. You ready Shark?" Scorch asked as Shark closed his eyes. But then what Shark did next surprised me, he walked forward and he didn't stop until he had reached _my_ side.

"Actually, it's going to be two on two." Shark stated.

Scorch and Slender guy growled, "Two on what?"

"Do you really think you can betray us, Shark?" Scorch demanded.

The biggest grin in the history of grins had appeared on my face, "Are you serious Shark?"

He tutted, "Don't get the wrong idea Yumi, I still haven't forgotten what you did. I'm just sick and tired of these goons."

The duo in front of us looked really annoyed, "Yeah, well we aren't your biggest fans either!"

"And when you lose this duel, Chills and I will make sure that _you _take the blame for the stolen deck." Scorch sneered before chuckling.

_Yes! With Shark on my team, there's no way we're going to lose this duel! And I finally know Slender guys name, I wonder if Scorch and Chills is foreshadowing something._

"Yumi-chan, now that Shark-sama is on your team, you really have no excuse for losing this duel." Astrid chided before I took my D-Pad out.

"Well I have no intention of losing Astrid. It's as Yuma always says, I'm feeling the flow!" I threw my Duel Disk in the air before it unfurled and attached to my wrist.

"Duel Disk set! Duel Gazer, let's go!" I attached my Duel Gazer to my left eye and for a second, all I could see where numbers before they cleared and I could see the field properly.

**"Augmented Reality, vision link established." **

"Let's duel!" We all chorused out.

**Scorch: 4000  
Yumi: 4000  
Chills: 4000  
Shark: 4000**

"Let's get this duel started, I draw!" Scorch called out. "I set one monster face-down and end my turn with two face-down cards."

Scorch and Chills shared a look before sniggering; I wonder what those two are up to? They're probably used to tag dueling!

"Its time for some star power, I draw!" I drew my sixth card and I was shocked by the contents of my hand. I only had one Constellar monster in my hand, but I did have something that would stall these goons.

"Take this! I summon Snow Fairy (4/1100/700) in attack mode! This means that everybody apart from me has to wait one turn to activate a spell card, plus you can't activate a spell card the turn you set it either."

A bunch of ice shards formed together, leaving a petite blue female ice monster in its place.

Shark looked like he wanted to murder me, "Yumi! Don't you think that monster will also inconvenience me as well?!"

I winked at him, "Its all part of the plan. Now I activate Luminous Spark, every LIGHT monster on the field gains 500 attack points but loses 400 defense points. Since Snow Fairy is a light monster, she gets to bathe in the light (4/1600/300)! I set one card face-down to end my turn." I finished as the field turned into cavern filled with light and a horizontal card appeared behind Snow Fairy.

"It's my turn now! I summon Pompadour Blizzardon (4/1400/1400) in attack mode. Then I place three cards face-down to end my turn." Chills finished as a blue dinosaur made of ice appeared on his field, along with two face-down horizontal cards.

"You're going to wish you stayed in bed tonight kid." Scorch said as Shark got ready to draw.

"Well you're going to wish you stayed out of the water, cuz I'm summoning Big Jaws (3/1800/300)! Now I can special summon Shark Stickers (3/200/1000) in attack mode." The entire field got flooded with water as Shark's two ugly WATER monsters appeared on the field.

"Shark's got 2 level 3 monsters, do you think he's going to Xyz summon?" Astrid asked as she examined his cards.

"I Overlay Big Jaws and Shark Stickers in order to build the Overlay Network and Xyz summon Submersible Carrier Aero Shark (4/1900/1000) in attack mode!" Shark Stickers and Big Jaws turned into two beams of blue light before diving into the swirling red portal that was in the middle of the field. The familiar orange shark shaped plane appeared with two Overlay Units circling it.

"Now I detach one Overlay Unit to activate Aero Shark's ability, you lose 400 Life Points for every card in my hand and since I have 4, you take 1600 points of damage and I choose Scorch." Shark instructed as Scorch got hit with four torpedoes.

**Scorch: 2400  
Yumi: 4000  
Chills: 4000  
Shark: 4000**

"Great move Shark," I commented as Scorch laughed.

"We were hoping you would do that." He looked at Chills and Chills set his own plan into motion.

"I activate my trap! Blizzard Egg LV5! This card activates if a player takes effect damage this turn, they can Special Summon 1 level 5 monster from their hand. But if they don't, they get dealt 500 points of damage." Chills explained as an ice egg appeared on the field and broke which caused a giant blizzard to appear on the field.

_If Chills wants to play in a world of ice, then I'll show him what happens when you mess with ice!_

"I summon level 5 Baggy Pants Lavasaurus (5/2100/1300) in attack mode!" A grey dinosaur with fire claws appeared on the field and gave a mighty roar.

"Now to really heat things up, I play my trap: Flame Egg LV5! This lets Chills special summon a level 5 monster from his hand or else he takes 500 points of damage!" An egg shaped volcano appeared before exploding into chunks of fire.

"You're about to learn why nobody messes with the pack! I summon Icebergdon (5/1400/2100) in defense mode!" Chills slammed a card onto his Duel Disk which caused a dinosaur made of ice to appear.

Astrid looked suspicious, "This seems strange Yumi! How do this egg heads both have level 5 monsters in their hands and the similar trap cards?"

"I don't know Astrid, but these two goons look like they are far from finished." I gritted my teeth with anticipation.

Scorch then activated his last face-down: Flare LV5. "This trap forces one player to lose 500 Life Points for every level 5 monster on our field. Since we control 2, Shark takes 1000 points of damage!"

A beam of fire emerged from the trap card and hit Shark which caused him to fall to his knees.

**Scorch: 2400  
Yumi: 4000  
Chills: 4000  
Shark: 3000**

"Are you okay Shark-kun?" I asked as he got up.

"I'm fine; it'll take a whole lot more than that to get me down. I set two cards face-down to end my turn." Shark finished as two face-down horizontal cards appeared in front of him

I could have helped Shark; my face-down card is Hallowed Life Barrier which would have prevented him from taking damage. Plus I would have been able to discard Constellar Leonis and then during my next turn, I could have banished it to summon Ghost Ship. I also have Synchro Boost in my hand, so I could have increased Snow Fairy's level by 1 which would make her level 5. 2 level 5 monsters equal Andromeda. However, I'm glad I didn't activate it because it seems Scorch and Chills strategy seems to rely on effect damage. 1000 Life Points is nothing, its something that Shark can afford this lose at this stage of the duel.

"I now flip my face-down Flamesaurus (4/1800/1200) in attack mode. When Flamesaurus is flipped face-up, it gains a level (5/1800/1200)." He explained as his new monster roared.

"Yumi, prepare yourself! He's probably going to summon his Number card!" Astrid screeched as she covered her mouth.

I rolled my eyes at her, "No shit, Sherlock."

"I Overlay my level 5 Flamesaurus and Baggy Pants Lavasaurus to build the Overlay Network. I summon Number 61: Volcasaurus (5/2500/1000) in attack mode!"

Both FIRE monsters turned into red beams of light before flying into a black hole. A red ball of volcanic rock appeared in the air with two red Overlay Units circling it. The rock slowly broke and transformed into a huge (and I mean huge!) fiery dragon with the number '61' on its shoulder.

"That dragon may be huge, but it's not that great!" I shouted at Scorch.

He gave me a bemused smile, "I'm not done yet, I'm going to show what happens to the chumps that mess with me. By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can destroy one monster on the field and its controller takes damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack. Say goodbye to Aero Shark!"

Volcasaurus ate one of its Overlay Units before blowing a stream of fire towards Aero Shark.

_And this is why you wait to activate trap cards._

"Not so fast Scorch! Trap card activate! I activate Hallowed Life Barrier! By discarding one card from my hand, any damage Shark and I take this turn will become 0!" I explained as I discarded Constellar Leonis.

Three blue robed maidens appeared in front of Shark and the leader placed her hand out, causing a light blue barrier to cover Shark. However, Aero Shark was still destroyed.

"Grrr, you may have saved your Life Points this turn, but I'm still going to use my second Overlay Unit to destroy that pesky fairy of yours!" Scorch growled as Volcasaurus ate his final Overlay Unit and used its fire breath to destroy Snow Fairy. Luckily Hallowed Life Barrier was still in effect, so I didn't take any damage this turn.

"I set two cards to end my turn."

_Alright Yumi, so far you haven't lost any Life Points which is good because I don't want to start coughing up blood and have to explain to Shark my full predicament. _

"I dr-" I was interrupted by a sudden call on my Duel Gazer.

It was Yuma! His face appeared in a small rectangle on the left side of my field.

"Yumi, where are you? And...are you in a duel?!" He demanded as my face blanched.

"Long story short, I'm in a Numbers duel and I'm in front of Heartland Museum. Okay byeeee." I immediately hung up on him before he could ask any more questions.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, I draw! I activate Card of Sanctity which lets us all draw until we hold six cards." I drew my four new cards which now gave me a total of six cards.

"Yumi, if you play your cards right you'll be able to summon Andromeda and maybe even Galaxy Queen this turn!" Astrid informed me as she started to point at certain cards in my hand.

"How correct you are Astrid. I activate Monster Reborn to summon Snow Fairy (4/1100/700) back to the field." Snow Fairy returned to the field in a blizzard of snow, due to Luminous Spark she gained a power boost (4/1600/300).

"Now I banish Constellar Leonis from my graveyard to special summon Ghost Ship (5/1900/1000) from my hand." Constellar Leonis appeared on my field, expect he looked more ghostlike. He floated into the sky and in its place, an old pirate boat with spirits started to wander around the field. Ghost Ship received a power boost due to my field spell (5/2400/600).

"Next I activate Synchro Boost and equip it to Snow Fairy, so she gains a level and 500 attack points (5/2100/300). Scorch isn't the only person who has a rank 5 Numbers card! However before I can Xyz summon, I activate the continuous spell card: Galaxy Wave! I overlay my level 5 Snow Fairy and Ghost Ship to build the Overlay Network!" My two monsters transformed into two beams of yellow light which flew into the galaxy hole that was in the middle of the field. "Rise up to the challenge, Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations (5/2900/1500)!"

In the middle of my field, planets, stars and entire galaxies emerged on what appeared to be a black robe of some sort. Suddenly it started to unfurl until it had formed a pale skinned woman with a regal appearance. She had long black hair that was decorated with silver stars, a floor-length black kimono that was decorated with planets, stars and galaxies.

To finish, she had a silver constellation belt around her waist, a thin silver band around her head decorated with indigo and violet gems of all shades and silver, star-like eyes. The number '00' appeared on the center of her kimono as two beams of yellow light flew around her. Andromeda smiled as a beam of light fell on her, strengthening her attack points (5/3400/1100).

Shark's mouth dropped open at the sight of my Number monster. "I knew Yuma had a Numbers card, but since when did you have one?"

I looked into Shark's eyes, "I told you, a lot has happened to me since you stopped going to school. I'll tell you later, but now Galaxy Wave activates which means every time I Xyz summon, my opponents take 500 points of damage. Sorry about this Shark-kun."

A galaxy appeared in the space above our heads and lightning started to strike every player but me.

**Scorch: 1900  
Yumi: 4000  
Chills: 3500  
Shark: 2500**

"You little brat, I activate the continuous trap card: Avalanche! When a Xyz monster is Xyz summoned, I can choose that monster and it can't attack! Plus every time that monster activates an effect, its controller takes 500 points of damage." Chills smirked as four pillars of ice emerged from the ground and surrounded Andromeda.

It was now my turn to smirk, "Do you really think I wouldn't be prepared for a move like that? By detaching 1 Overlay Unit from Andromeda and banishing it, I can negate the effects of any monster, trap and spell cards until the end of my opponents end phase. Andromeda, melt away Avalanche!" I commanded as one of the beams of light surrounding Andromeda flew into her belt, which caused a shower of stardust to sprinkle all over the field.

Chills and Scorch both gasped as all the cards on their fields became useless.

"That is one heck of a monster!" Shark commented as he enjoyed the look of terror on our opponents face.

I nodded in his direction, "You sure said it. And you guys should stop looking so glum; I haven't finished my turn yet! Andromeda, attack Volcasaurus with Celestial Kiss!" I ordered as Andromeda's lips glowed silvery before she patted them and blew a kiss to Volcasaurus.

Volcasaurus roared as it got destroyed in a shimmer of stardust.

"Ahhhhh, you'll pay for that!" Scorch growled as he took damage.

**Scorch: 1000  
Yumi: 4000  
Chills: 3500  
Shark: 2500**

"Not likely, I set two cards face-down to end my turn." Two face-down horizontal cards appeared behind Andromeda.

Chills gave me a dirty look as he drew, "Alright, I change Icebergdon to attack mode. This is the end Shark, cuz I attack you directly with my monster!"

_Uh oh! Chills has two monsters and if he takes both of those hits, he's done for! I know if I take any hits I'll lose Life Points and some of my life force! But if I don't help Shark, he'll lose this duel and I need him!_

"I activate Astral Barrier! This continuous trap allows me to change my opponent's attack into a direct attack; this allows me to take the attack for Shark instead!" I explained as Icebergdon stopped in front of Shark and attacked me instead.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh," I screamed as I fell backwards in the air and hit the ground. I felt like I had been run over by a car.

**Scorch: 1000  
Yumi: 2700  
Chills: 3500  
Shark: 2500**

Shark actually looked concerned for me, "Yumi, are you alright? That was such a dumb move! Why would you do that?"

I staggered to my feet and tried to fight back a cough, "I'm...alright. It'll take more than...that to take...me down. I told you...I'm your friend." I coughed through that entire sentence which caused Scorch to mock me.

"Hahaha, you need to stop smoking kid!" Scorch mocked me as I coughed even more.

"Bring...it." I replied feebly.

_It's not going to be long before I start coughing up blood or getting head pains._

Astrid looked worried, "Yumi, you shouldn't have done that! You need to think about yourself for once. If you lose all your Life Points protecting Shark, then you'll die which will be so selfish because what would Yuma, Astral and me do?"

I shook my head at Astrid, "I don't care if I die in this duel...just as long as Shark comes to his senses?"

She still looked wary, "Observation number 5, Yumi is willing to die for her cause...even if it's a stupid cause."

I ignored her as Chills continued his move, "Nice girlfriend you have Shark, you really have her hanging onto your every word. Let's see if she'll protect you from this! Pompadour Blizzardon, attack Shark directly!"

Shark's face paled slightly as he saw the monster approaching him. I couldn't stand to see Shark being hurt, so I did what Astrid told me not to do.

"Astral Barrier activates, I'll take the hit for Shark!" I shouted as the ice dinosaur avoided Shark and attacked me instead.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" I screamed as I hit the ground once again.

**Scorch: 1000  
Yumi: 1300  
Chills: 3500  
Shark: 2500**

I tried to gather the strength to stand up, but my entire body was telling me to stay down. My head felt like a mariachi band was holding a concert in it, it hurt so much and my throat felt so raw.

"Heh, she can't even get up. Nice teammate you have there Shark, she can't even take a hit." Scorch chided as I tried to find the strength to get up.

_I'm...so...weak. Who am I kidding? I'm just a small fish in...a big pond. I can't save Shark and I can't help Yuma..._

"Yumi, get off of the floor! Is this how a Tsukumo duels?!" I thought I heard Yuma's voice, but that's impossible. What would he be doing here? Oh that's right; he phoned me and told me he was coming here.

"I know your Life Points aren't looking that great, but that's never stopped you before! I know you must be really ill right now and I can't imagine how that feels, but you're the strongest person I know and I'm happy that you're my sister. Now please, get up!" It was like Yuma was here with me, but he sounds so far away.

I just want to go to sleep really badly. I was about to close my eyes when another voice accompanied Yuma's.

"Yumi, I need you! If you give up now, then how am I meant to win this tag duel? You're the only one who _actually_ knows how to use Andromeda! So get off your butt and let's win this duel!" Shark's voice managed to get me back to my senses.

_Shark's right, he needs me because teamwork is the only way to win this duel. Plus, didn't I say that I would do everything in my power to help Shark; even if it meant I would die? _

That was all the motivation I needed to get off the ground and finish this duel.

"That's it Yumi!" Tori cheered. I turned around and I could see that Yuma had brought along Tori and Bronk to this duel.

I couldn't help but smile at them, "Thanks you guys." I nearly teared up at how supportive my friends were being.

Unfortunately Scorch and Chills just had to ruin it.

"That's so sweet; it almost makes me want to _throw up_." Chills mimed throwing up.

"Yeah, it's just so sickening! I can't wait to wipe the arena floor with you two! I activate the Volcanic Ash trap card which puts Chills, Pompadour Blizzardon into defense mode!" Scorch explained as Pompadour Blizzardon knelt down.

_How strange, I wonder why Scorch would do that. These two have to be planning something!_

"Anybody know why he put Pompadour Blizzardon into defense mode?" Astrid asked with a dazed look on her face.

Chills answered her question by pulling out a card from her hand, "I activate Frozen Ice Cave! This spell lets me target 1 face-up defense mode monster I control and increase its level by 1!"

Everybody gasped, "That's why!" Astrid pointed out which made me want to shout at her, but I had a massive coughing fit. It was extremely wet and it hurt my throat like crazy, I didn't even have time to cover my mouth as the crimson droplets flew out of my mouth and hit the pavement with multiple 'plops'.

Shark barely even glanced at it; I think he was too focused on the duel.

"That's 2 level 5 monsters, not good." Shark growled as Chills started to overlay his two monsters.

They both turned into two streams of blue light before flying into a portal that resembled a black hole.

"I hope you two packed your jackets! Cuz the weather outside is about to get _nasty_. I Xyz summon Number 19: Freezerdon (5/2000/2500) in defense mode!" Chills chortled as a floating block of ice suddenly appeared in front of Chills. It slowly pushed out its limbs which caused a blizzard it revealed itself as a dinosaur that was made entirely of ice. It had a green '19' on its right pectoral muscle while 2 blue overlay units encircled it.

My eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, I've never been in a duel that involves my opponent controlling 2 Number monsters and I fear that it won't be the last.

"Now by detaching an overlay unit, I can restore Volcasaurus' overlay units as long as they are still in the graveyard." Chills explained as Freezerdon ate 1 of its overlay units; unfortunately for them I chose this moment to activate Andromeda's effect.

"Sorry boys, but I detach Andromeda's last Overlay Unit and banish it, to negate every monster, trap and spell card effect until the start of Shark's turn!" I exclaimed as Andromeda's lips glowed as she blew a kiss which caused the entire field to be covered in a blanket of stardust.

"I set two cards face-down to end my turn!" Chills finished as two face-down horizontal cards appeared in front of him.

I could hear Astral talking to Yuma in the background, "Something isn't quite right with this duel."

As if Shark could hear Astral speak, Shark confirmed his suspicions. "They're cheating, Yumi!"

Chills acted like he didn't hear what Shark said as he placed his hand on his left ear. "Cheating? What a sore loser!"

Shark refused to back down, "Don't play dumb! I know a cheater when I see one and I see two!"

Astrid didn't know what the word cheater meant, "Cheetah? Does Shark-san mean a large cat?"

I nearly facepalmed, "No, a_ cheater _is someone who doesn't play by the rules!"

Astrid gasped in realisation, "Oh, so they're lying! That is so not cool!"

Shark started to crack his knuckles, like he was preparing himself for a fist fight. "That's something narrow-minded bastards do. Those guys knew from the beginning the number of cards in each other's decks and the order their cards would appear in!"

Shark is as insightful as ever, I'm surprised that it took us this long to figure out what those two were doing.

"But in order for Scorch and Chills to do that, they would have to-"

"- disable their Duel Disks auto-shuffle function as well." Shark finished my sentence.

I started to glare at the both of them, "Okay, its bad enough that this is a Numbers duel and I'm practically dying, but you two made it way worse by cheating. I can't stand cheaters and you two will suffer for this."

"That's why they knew each other's hand and were able to summon level 5 monsters that easily…" Astrid trailed off.

"That's why he purposely switched his comrade's monster into defense position with that trap card…and increased the level of his monster to be able to Xyz summon too…If it's like that, then they aren't duelists!" shouted Astral from the sidelines.

"If you were honest duelists, you'd never cheat like that!" Shark yelled at them.

Chills still had the audacity to look down on Shark, "Careful little Shark, you should be careful where you throw the word 'cheating' around."

Scorch scorned, "The one who cheated was you, wasn't it? You're the one who cheated at the national tournament!"

I didn't think it was possible for my blood to turn cold, but it did. Everybody froze, but Shark looked like he was reliving some nightmare.

_It can't be true! Shark isn't a dishonest duelist! He would never do something like that!_

"You guys have to stop lying! Shark-kun would never ever cheat in a tournament! He has the heart of a duelist!" I started to gesture for emphasis.

Scorch's Cheshire Cat grin grew even wider, "Hahahahaha! Don't you watch the news! The favourite for the championship is a bastard who looked at his competitors' deck in the waiting room during the finals!"

I started to cover my ears, refusing to hear another word they were saying. "Shark isn't like that...you have to be lying."

Yuma's voice broke me out of my stupor, "Yumi, I'm sorry but Scorch and Chills are right; Shark was disqualified for cheating. But I don't believe for one second that Shark meant to do it! I mean look at him! He duels with honour and pride; he's the best duelist I've ever seen!"

I looked over to Shark and he looked so sad, maybe even scared. I wanted to run over to him and give him a hug, but I couldn't because we were in the middle of a duel.

"I…I was afraid of losing…" Shark whispered.

Chills started to laugh like a damn hyena; I mean how can he do that when it's clear that Shark is in so much pain?!

"The championship favourite was scared of losing?"

"How unsightly, eh?" Scorch joined in, "What a pathetic bastard you are."

Shark closed his eyes in shame and I could see that he wanted to quit the duel, probably to lick his wounds. That's when my last nerve broke and all Hell broke loose.

"How dare you call Shark-kun a bastard?" I roared which caused Yuma, Tori, Bronk, Astral and even Astrid to give me a funny look; probably because I rarely used swear words.

"You call him a 'pathetic bastard' just because he was afraid of losing, well so were you two! Why else would you layer your decks in a certain way, just to avoid defeat?! Everybody has a fear of losing; it's what makes us all human beings because one way or another, we all have something to lose. I never used to be scared of losing because even if I did lose, I still had my family and friends to fall back on." I smiled at Yuma as I said this and he returned my smile.

"But in the past month, I've learnt that some people can't afford to lose because if they do, they actually lose everything. I'm a classic example of this because if I don't win this duel, then I die. Just like that, though I never realised how it would affect other people as well. What I'm trying to say is I know that Shark will probably regret what he did last year until the day he dies. But that's why Shark's duel is real! Because no matter what underhanded tricks our opponents use, we're fighting fair and square! This is our duel right now! So you two _bastards_ can shove that up your pipe and smoke it!" I ended my speech by flipping them off and tossing my hair to the side.

"Yumi...that was amazing. You sure told those thugs!" Yuma pumped his fist in the air.

"Yuma's right. That was a very beautiful speech." Tori added as she wiped a tear away from her eyes.

"You may be saying this crap now, but Andromeda no longer has any Overlay Units and you had to banish them as well." Scorch chortled.

"What can you and that has-been do now?" Chills asked.

Shark lifted his head up and looked at me. "Yumi, let's win this duel."

I smiled and nodded at him before coughing up blood into my hands; the worst part of it was that I didn't have anywhere to wipe it. I tried to hide it from Shark but I was too late, he could see the small ruby pool drip out of my hands and onto the pavement again.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coughing up blood? We have to cancel this-"

"No! I'm not going to any hospital where I get poked and prodded in inappropriate places! Besides, no hospital can cure what I got; I was serious about dying if I lose this duel. Ever since the day you got possessed by that Numbers card, I too was cursed. If Yuma or I get involved in a Numbers duel and we lose Life Points, I lose some of my life energy as well. If our Life Points vanish, then I too will vanish along with them Shark-kun and you have no idea how scared I am right now." I confessed as a tear managed to sneak out of my closed lashes and dribbled down my cheek.

"I-I...that can't be true...you have to be lying! I refuse to accept what you just said! It's my turn so I draw! I activate the spell card Xyz Gift from my hand! If there are two or more Xyz monsters on the field, I can draw two cards! Now I summon Needle Sunfish (3/1500/100) in attack mode."

A small ugly blue monster that resembled a whale appeared on Shark's field.

"Furthermore, I activate the spell card Surface to special summon Big Jaws (3/1800/300) in defense mode from my graveyard!"

A pillar of water erupted from the field and my favourite monster of Shark's returned. That's when I noticed he had 2 level 3 monsters on the field which could only mean one thing!

"I overlay level 3 Needle Sunfish and Big Jaws! I create an Overlay Network with these 2 monsters! Xyz summon! Come forth, Black Ray Lancer (3/2100/600)!" Needle Sunfish and Big Jaws turned into two beams of blue light before diving into the swirling red portal that was in the middle of the field.

An unfamiliar black and purple monster with wings appeared on Shark's field. I don't think I've ever seen this monster before, I wonder what it does.

"I activate Black Ray Lancer's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I negate Volcasaurus' monster effect until the end phase!" One of Black Ray Lancer's purple Overlay Units got absorbed into his chest before shooting rings of red light at Volcasaurus.

"But Volcasaurus' attack is higher!" Scorch noted.

"You should really stop underestimating Shark." I stuck my tongue out at him.

Shark smirked, "I activate Needle Sunfish's effect! When this card is sent to the graveyard, it can lower one of my opponents' monsters attack by 500!"

A dark purple portal appeared in the centre of the field and a cascade of spikes hit Volcasaurus and weakened it.

"Now Black Ray Lancer is stronger than Volcasaurus and kick some major jacksy!" I whooped.

Astrid tried to nudge me but her arm passed right through me, "Looks like your boyfriend knows his way around his deck...if you know what I mean."

My face turned the brightest shade of red as I watched Shark continue his move.

"I attack Volcasaurus with Black Ray Lancer! Go, Black Spear!" Shark cried out as his monster swung its staff around.

Chills being Scorch's faithful protector activated his face-down card, "I activate a trap! Compensation Exchange! This card negates your attack, but in exchange, I lose Life Points equal to Volcasaurus' attack!" Chills got hit with rain made of fire...if that makes sense.

**Scorch: 1000  
Yumi: 1300  
Chills: 1500  
Shark: 2500**

"I see how you two work; Scorch is all about offence but Chills relies on defence! I would admire you two creeps if you weren't so dishonest!" I shouted before I started to cough again and this time, blood started to leak from my nose and down my face.

_Red is meant to be the colour of passion...the colour of blood which is precious life energy, how I've grown to hate you._

"When I am attacked, Chills protects me!"

Chills stood up straight, "That's our way of fighting!"

Scorch took this opportunity to activate a trap, "I activate a trap! Volcanic Abyss! When my partner received effect damage, this card allows me to look at my opponents' hand. If there is a monster card, I can return that card to the deck. I'm going to check your hand!" He pointed at Shark because I had no cards in my hand.

Shark's hand was visible to every player on the field and he had only two cards in his hand: Final Offering and Armoured Xyz. Luckily for him, he had no monster cards in his hand, so Scorch just wasted his move.

"I set one card face-down to end my turn." Shark finished.

Now it was time to see Scorch's big move...I'm not going to lie because I was terrified!

"Get ready because I draw! I activate Lightning Vortex which destroys all face-up monsters my opponents control, just as long as I discard one card from my hand!" Scorch exclaimed as Black Ray Lancer, Andromeda and Freezerdon got sent to the graveyard in a flash of lightning.

_Oh no! Now Shark and I are defenceless! Although...my face-down card might protect us and Shark has three face-down cards._

Chills started to shout at Scorch, "You imbecile! How could you forget that Lightning Vortex also destroys my monsters?"

Scorch looked confused, "I dunno! I forgot that it would affect you as well! But it doesn't matter because this duel is as good as won!"

"That's what you think, you bastard! I activate a trap card targeting Volcasaurus: Icy Crevasse! When a monster on my field is destroyed by a monster effect, this card allows me to target and destroy one monster my opponent controls. The player who controlled that monster receives damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!" Shark explained as Volcasaurus started to fall down into the cracked ground.

Scorch knew that he was going to lose this duel because he didn't have any card that could save him, however Chills was still loyal to him.

"I activate a trap! **Compensation to the Doomed**! If I control no monsters, this trap allows me to negate the destruction of a monster that another player owns and I also take the effect damage that the owner of the destroyed monster would have taken." Chills explained as he got pelted with the damage Scorch would have taken. He got flung off his feet due to the force of the attack.

"Arrrrrrhhhhhhhh, you'll pay for this!"

**Scorch: 1000  
Yumi: 1300  
Chills: 0  
Shark: 2500**

"Chills, I can't believe you still sacrificed yourself to save me even though I destroyed Freezerdon." Scorch commented as Chills pulled himself off his feet.

"I know you didn't mean it and your still my brother. Now show these brats what happen when you mess with the leaders of the pack!"

Scorch started to glow with a dark purple aura, "How dare you do this to my little brother? Don't think you can get out of this easily! Volcasaurus, attack that bitch directly!"

Shark was about to activate his next face-down and I knew that it was Final Offering because I saw it in his hand and it was the only card that he could activate in this situation. My own face-down card was Book of Moon which was a quick-play spell that changed a face-up monster into face-down defense mode. If I activated it, we would be saved from Volcasaurus' attack and Shark could still activate Final Offering as it would still count as the battle phase.

"I activate Book of Moon to flip Volcasaurus (5/2500/1000) into face-down defense mode!" I yelled as an open blue book appeared in front of Volcasaurus and the pages started to flip which caused Volcasaurus to roar as it was forced into defense mode and was flipped face-down.

_If Shark activates Final Offering and passes me Armored Xyz, we might just win this duel. The only problem is if I don't draw a decent card on the next turn, then we might just lose this duel!_

"I activate Final Offering! Since it's still the battle phase, I can end it immediately as long as I pass 1 card in my hand to another player. Yumi! The rest of this duel counts on you!" Shark exclaimed as he threw a card at me, I caught it and I grinned once I saw it was Armoured Xyz.

"Yumi, that card is..." Astrid trailed off as she saw that Scorch still hadn't finished his turn.

"Shark, are you sure you can trust me with this card? Don't forget, I have no cards in my hand so if this draw fails..."

"I activate the continuous spell, Twin Volcano! This card inflicts 500 points of damage during each of my standby phases. Furthermore, when being sent to the graveyard, this card inflicts 500 points of damage! So let me break it down for you two, if neither of you summon a monster to defend yourself during your next turn, you both will lose 500 Life Points and then I'll use Volcasaurus to attack Yumi directly which will cause her to lose the duel. Then when she's out of the way, you'll be an easy to beat, Shark." Scorch explained.

"Looks like your luck has finally run out, cuz you two are going down!" Chills chortled.

_Damn it! Shark has no cards in his hand and I only have one, so the odds of us surviving is very slim! Plus Scorch said he was coming after me first and if I lose my Life Points, then I lose my life! This draw will literally decide if I can live or die...its weird how I can say that my life actually depended on the draw of a single card._

"It's my turn...draw." I never thought I would be this relieved to see this card. "Its time to end this duel, I activate Premature Burial and pay 800 Life Points to special summon a monster from any graveyard. I bring back Black Ray Lancer (3/2100/600) in attack mode." I nearly fainted as I felt my body weakening.

**Scorch: 1000  
Yumi: 500  
Shark: 2500**

Black Ray Lancer appeared out of the purple portal that had appeared in the middle of the field.

"You idiot, only a Number card can destroy a Numbers card!" Chills boomed.

Shark smirked, "No, you're the idiot! Did you once stop to think about the card I handed to Yumi?"

"Shark-kun has a point because this card is taking you down! I activate the magic card Armored Xyz from my hand! This card allows me to equip one monster on my field with a Xyz monster from either player's graveyard. I choose Andromeda (5/2900/1500), its time to show you two morons the true meaning of teamwork!" I exclaimed as Andromeda and Black Ray Lancer started to bond together to form a weird hybrid of the two (3/2900/1500).

"Heh," said Scorch. "Even though its attack is 2900 now, you seem to have forgotten that Numbers can only be defeated by other Numbers!"

"It can be defeated." Shark informed the duo.

Scorch and Chills were speechless for the first time during the entire duel (which was a miracle).

Shark was now smirking, "Thanks to Armored Xyz, Black Ray Lancer is treated as Andromeda!"

"That means it becomes some kind of Number!" I stuck my tongue out at them before coughing up a mouthful of blood; even my nose was bleeding obscene amounts which were staining my clothes. My head pain felt like it had gotten ten times worse and I was having problems standing up.

Shark could now see that I was telling the truth about me getting weaker every time I lose my Life Points.

"Goddammit, at this rate you're going to bleed to death before this duel is over!" Shark quickly rushed over to me as my knees buckled, so he could catch me before I hit the ground.

Scorch and Chills were laughing at my predicament which gave me the urge to tear them to pieces.

"Yumi, you need to order Black Ray Lancer to attack Volcasaurus before you lose too much blood." Yuma called out.

I tried to turn my head to face Yuma, but Shark forced me to look at him instead.

"You need to save your strength Yumi, just call this attack and then send Andromeda to the graveyard before getting Black Ray Lancer to attack again. That's all you need to do to stop this, I know you can do this." If I wasn't currently in danger of bleeding to death, I would be really embarrassed right now because of how close I am to Shark.

He was even smiling at me in an attempt to comfort me, "You should...smile more often...it suits you S-S-" I choked out before he placed his finger to my lips to stop me talking.

"What did I just say about saving your strength? Don't you ever do what you're told?" He joked.

"Y-yep, I just ignore...you." I paused and tried to stand up; Shark got me to lean on him so I could stand up easier.

"I gotcha, now do it." Shark nodded.

I spat out the blood that was currently clogging up in my mouth, "B-Black Ray Lancer...attack."

Black Ray Lancer twirled his staff and sent a shower of stardust across the field which caused the face-down Volcasaurus to flip face-up before it got exploded in a flash of gold pixels.

"Ahhhh," Scorch groaned as he took the force of his monster destroying.

I nearly fainted again because it actually took a lot of energy to stand up and order a monster to attack.

"Yumi, stay with me. Send Andromeda to the graveyard and order Black Ray Lancer to attack again." Shark instructed as my head started to sway.

"I-I-I send Andromeda...to the...graveyard...this means...Black Ray...Lancer can attack again d-d-directly." I explained as I started to retch. It would be truly terrible if I started to vomit up blood. I didn't have enough strength to watch Black Ray Lancer deal the finishing blow, but I could hear the screams of Chills and Scorch.

**Scorch: 0  
Yumi: 500  
Shark: 2500**

**WIN: YUMI + SHARK**

Thankfully the pain quickly went away and the flow of blood was slowly stopping. Even though I could open my eyes and had a bit more energy, I still felt really faint due to the blood loss that I had sustained.

"You did it, we won the duel." Shark told me.

"I know...I'm so glad." I tried to stand up on my own two feet, but I instantly fell down because I had no strength left.

"Yumi, we need to get you home!" Yuma exclaimed as he tried to come to my side.

Shark blocked him, "Yuma, don't be an idiot! Who knows how much blood she lost in this duel! We need to get her to the hospital because she may need a blood transfusion! Judging by how she's acting, she's probably lost at least 2 pints of blood."

I don't remember what happened next because I think I blacked out. When I open my eyes again, I can see that I'm in a hospital bed with a tube stuck up my nose and another in my arm. The tube that was in my arm connected plastic bag that was filled with blood. A large plastic clip was on my right index finger and I had visited the hospital enough to know that it measured my blood pressure.

_Great, I can't believe I have another tube up my nose. Gross! _

I turned my head to the side and I could see a nurse adjusting the blood bag, I tried to call out to her but my throat was so dry. As she turned to leave, she realised my eyes were open and jumped.

"Miss. Tsukumo, how long have you been awake?" She asked.

I swallowed and licked my lips in an attempt to moisten my mouth, "Not...long. Why...am...I-"

"Here? You were carried into A&E by a purple haired boy who was very concerned about you. He told us your name and how you suddenly had some fit. You somehow lost five pints of blood and we had to give you a transfusion. You're very lucky that you were found by that boy or else you would have gone into a hypovolemic shock and died shortly after. Your brother, sister and grandmother are waiting for you outside. I'll let them in once you're strong enough." The nurse had her hand on the door handle when I stopped her.

"D-d-did the b-boy leave a n-name?" I asked.

She put her finger to her chin in thought, "I think it was...something Kastle. He didn't really stick around, he said he something about not wanting to be around when your family arrived."

And with that, I was left alone again.

_Shark-kun, what is your real name? How did you get the nickname Shark? People only use nicknames when they want to conceal their real names. Just what is he hiding? And did you...just save my life?_

* * *

**Note: Compensation to the Doomed is a trap card I made up to replace Forced Change. I also changed Premature Burial's effect because usually it can only special summon a monster from the owner's graveyard.**

**China:...HOW WAS THAT FOR YUMI X SHARK FLUFF?! Some people were asking for more Yumi and Shark moments, so I hope you liked this one! I know I did!**

**Yumi: I can't believe you made Shark my knight in shining armour, I thought you were a feminist and believed that women don't need men to save them every time they are in trouble?**

**China: And your point? Everybody is a sucker for romance!**

**Shark: I liked how I was portrayed in this chapter.**

**Yumi: There's a first.**

**China: Get over it Yumi, Shark will also be a major character in chapter 13 because of Kite. Basically when Kite defeats Yum-**

**Yumi + Shark: *cover China's mouth* SPOILER ALERT!**

**Astrid: We interrupt China speaking to form an important announcement. Before chapter 20, Yumi will be performing a Chaos Xyz Summon and we need YOUR help to make a Chaos Number version of Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations. Whoever wins this gets to submit an OC that Yumi will be dueling later. Don't worry Nyx'sBlackRose, your OC will be appearing very soon ;)**

**Astral: Now please review this chapter and help China Smith to get her review count to ****at least**** 175 before chapter 13. Currently she has 163 reviews so please try and help China reach her goal so she can update faster.**


	13. Boys Are So Confusing!

**China: THANK YOU GUYS FOR HELPING ME REACH 183 REVIEWS! YOU GUIYS ROCK!**

**Yumi: China is so excited! You guys made it happen, now its time to reply to a few reviews!**

**VoidArmour: Astrid has yet to show any signs of disappearing during a duel, however there is a very special reason for that. You guys will find out later ;)**

**Guest: Thank you for the very sweet review :D I did purposely make Yumi a better duelist than Yuma. She is the more logical twin who always thinks things through, whereas Yuma...Plus her being a good duelist aids in her character development because Yumi later learns that you can't always win duels by being cautious.**

**Astrid: Please vote on China's new poll for Andromeda's Chaos form. Basically it's a repeat of the entire thing China did in chapter 4.**

**China: Sorry for the filler chapter, but I couldn't just leave chapter 12 with a few lose ends. Next chapter will definitely be some more embarrassing Yumi moments; along with a new student...CHAPTER 13 IS SOON COMING TO ANY COMPUTERS NEAR YOU! ENJOY AND PLEASE REVIEW! DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!**

* * *

It was over a week before I was released from the hospital. This was due to a number of reasons; mainly my body was rejecting the blood of whoever donated the blood they were pumping through me. In the end they had to take a pint of Yuma's blood because he was a genetic match, and mix it with the donor's blood in an attempt to trick my body; thankfully it worked.

Another reason was because I had had a hospital appointment the day and I was admitted and I had been deemed 'healthy' during it. But now they had to keep me in for observation to make sure I wasn't at a risk of dying or if I was safe around other people.

It wasn't until the third day of my hospital sentence that they finally allowed me to have visitors. I watched as Grandma, Kari, Yuma and even Bronk and Tori piled into the small room. I was ashamed that Tori and Bronk had to see me like this with my sunken cheeks and unbrushed hair.

"Hey...guys." I managed to get out. I haven't been able to have a proper conversation with anybody since for the past three days, so it was like I had lost the ability to speak.

Kari immediately flung her arms around me. "Yumi, I can't believe this happened again!" She hissed, it almost sounded like she was blaming me.

Yuma on the other hand was much more considerate. As he bent down to hug me, he whispered into my ear. "I'm sorry you had to go to the hospital, but Shark was right. When you blacked out, he got you on his motorbike and he drove so fast. This is all my fault; I'm a horrible big brother."

When he pulled away from me, I slapped him. "Don't you…ever say you're…a horrible big brother."

Yuma shouldn't blame himself for something that was my partially my fault. I don't regret taking all those hits for Shark, but my body seems to be disagreeing with my heart.

Tori pulled out a big white envelope out from her schoolbag, "You're looking better Yumi-chan. I got our entire class to sign you a 'Get Well Soon' card, everybody really misses you." It took me a few tries before I finally got hold of the envelope; I'd open it later when nobody was around.

Bronk clearly didn't know what to say, he simply scratched his head. "So...that gang of boys from school were looking for you. Tori told them you were in the hospital and they all said that they wish you a speedy recovery."

_That's nice of them, but there's only one hospital in all of Heartland...I'm sure none of them will try to find me. Although I wouldn't mind if Shark-kun tried to visit me, I would actually like it quite a lot. That way I could thank him for saving my life._

Kari looked suspicious, "Since when were you so popular with boys? You're like the shyest person I've ever met when it comes to boys. In fact, I'm surprised you even hang out with Bronk half the time!"

_Dang it! I have three options, either I lie my butt off, pretend I feel faint or I could tell Kari the truth...only a complete idiot would do the latter._

I faked a yawn, "Thanks for visiting you guys. I feel really tired now, you better come back tomorrow."

Kari didn't look very convinced, "You seem to have gotten tired very quickly. How do I know your not-"

Grandma pulled Kari's ear, which caused Kari to cut off. "Kari, how dare you accuse your little sister of lying?! Hasn't she been through enough? The nurse warned us that Yumi might get easily tired. Don't worry Yumi dear, we'll be back tomorrow; I'll even bring in some Onigiri if you want. The food they serve here isn't very fresh; it doesn't provide the proper nutrients needed for a growing girl."

She usually calls it 'Duel Fuel' but since Kari didn't like Yuma and me dueling, she's calling it by its proper name.

Yuma, Bronk and Tori were trying their best to stifle their laughing because of how silly Kari looked; I admit that even I was having a problem keeping a straight face.

"That would be amazing Grandma, thank you guys for visiting me. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow." I faked yawned as I turned my body to the side, so my face was hidden from view.

"Bye Yumi." They all chorused out before they all left, once again leaving me in solitude.

One of the main reasons I hate the hospital is because I can't see my family and friends as often as I want. I even wish I was back in school, just so I could regain a sense of normality in this harsh regime. I sat up, although I winced a bit as I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen.

_Guess it's true when they say that the cure is worse than the disease. _

I took the envelope out from under my pillow and started to prise open the glue strip, might as well see who's cared enough to sign it. It was a white A4 card that was covered with brown teddy bears; a purple sparkly ribbon that trailed down the left side, in the centre of the card was a brown teddy bear holding a bouquet of pink tulips with 'Get well soon Yumi' inscribed in green under it.

It looked very cutesy and I was touched that somebody had gone to the trouble of finding a card that had my name on it; I assumed it was Tori who had gotten the card. I opened it and my eyes were immediately exposed to a vast array of colours.

"Wow, that's too bright." I muttered as I started to decode the chunks of writing.

I was too engrossed in the card to notice a familiar stranger looking at me from the doorway.

"Having fun?" His voice broke through my trance which caused me to drop my card on the floor.

I whipped my head up and prepared to fight with the interloper, when I noticed it was Shark and he was still in his school uniform.

"There's a new technique that's been invented, its called 'knocking', ever heard of it?" I stated as I tried to get off the bed to reach my card, but the wires were restricting my movements.

Shark gave me a bemused smile before he bent down, picked up my card and handed it back to me; our hands nearly brushed against each other. I nearly blushed at the thought of making skin contact with Shark.

"Thank you, now I have a very important question to ask you. What the heck are you doing here?" I demanded as I tucked the card back under my pillow.

Shark's smile disappeared, "I was visiting...someone and I thought I might pop in and see you."

_I wonder who Shark is visiting. It must be depressing if it caused his smile to disappear._

"How very nice of you to honour me with your presence Mr. Kastle, what did I do to deserve this?" I joked around in an attempt to get him to lighten up.

Sadly it didn't work, but he did pull out a familiar looking deck pouch...wait a second...

"HAVE YOU GONE BACK TO STEALING DECKS AGAIN?" I screeched as Shark nearly jumped in fright.

"What! You overreact at every single thing! You dropped your Dueling Gear on my motorbike when I was driving you here. Yuma told me something about how your older sister would spaz out if she found out dueling was the reason you were in hospital." He explained as he dropped my deck onto bed.

_Awwww, that was so sweet of him. I just love how he's gotten used to me shouting at him for the tiniest of things._

"Good call, if Kari found out how I got this entire 'disease', she would send me to another country where dueling is unheard of. Can you say torture?" I shuddered at the thought.

"How did you get this 'disease' thing anyway? I heard that people think you have Tuberculosis, but we both know that it's a lie. So tell me how this entire fiasco started and don't you dare leave anything out." He threatened me as he folded his arms across his chest.

_He probably feels like I owe him an explanation for everything that happened three days ago. But to be honest, I kinda do owe him an explanation anyway because even though I don't wanna admit it, he did save my life. He didn't have to take me to the hospital, he could have just left as soon as the duel had ended and let Yuma take care of me instead. I'm still scared to tell him because that would mean I would have to tell him my story and he'll be the first person that I've ever told; plus he's kinda the reason I'm in this situation. _

_I mean think about it! If I didn't bump into Shark, he never would have challenged me to a duel, I never would have lost my deck and Yuma wouldn't have had to duel him to get my deck back. It's so strange how the tiniest of incidents can have such huge effects of your life._

I bit my bottom lip, "I want to tell you, but I'm scared that you'll hate me if I do."

He rolled his eyes, "Why would I hate you? I mean, I already don't like you."

I knew Shark was joking; he just didn't want to admit that I was his friend.

"That was so funny, I forgot to laugh." I answered back, "If I tell you everything then it'll sound like I'm blaming you, which I don't!"

"So spill, I got time." He even pulled up a chair and sat down on it to prove his point.

I sighed, "Alright, prepare yourself for something utterly boring. It all started..."

* * *

"...and that is why I'm destined to die unless I help Yuma collect the Number cards." I finished as Shark yawned.

"That...was...so...LONG! I know I said tell me everything, but I didn't really mean tell me everything." Shark complained as he got off his chair and started to stretch.

I could feel a vein in my temple throbbing, "You're whinier than a girl on her period! I told you everything you wanted and do you realise how tired I am?! If you don't believe me...well, you know where the door is."

"That story was the most unfeasible thing I've ever heard in my entire life. But ever since I dueled Yuma last month, I've been forced to question a lot of my beliefs. Interesting predicament you've gotten yourself in, but I still don't understand why you purposely lost our duel, yet you started to target a few kids in school and dueled them like there was no tomorrow." He commented.

I had a guilty expression on my face, "I was trying to save you in that duel, but you kept pushing me away and I thought you didn't want my help. I lost that duel because I thought you wanted to stay with the pack, but obviously you were only with them because you felt like you had nothing. I basically refurbished my deck and I needed to test it out, unfortunately I was having way too much fun dueling and I lost control." I explained with a feeble giggle.

"Classic Tsukumo, I can see how you're related to Yuma now." Shark glanced at the wall which a clock was resting on and he freaked. "I can't believe that's the time, I have to leave; I'll see you when you come back to school." He left abruptly.

_Well that was strange...even for Shark-kun. _

To pass the time (being in a hospital is so damn boring), I started to flip through my deck and tried to come up with new combos.

"If I activate...no that won't work, maybe if I use this card..."

I noticed a couple of unusual things about my deck, Hallowed Life Barrier and Magic Cylinder had returned! Looks like Shark didn't burn those cards after all! But what was really the crème de la crème was this new spell card: Armored Xyz.

_Isn't this...Shark's card? Why would he give it to me? I'll ask him next time I see him, I wonder if he likes me. I mean, he did give me a powerful card after all, but it could be a pity card. Gah! Boys are so confusing! _

* * *

**Here are all the Xyz Chaos Evolution forms for Andromeda, vote on the poll and to show I'm not biased, I refuse to write down the names of the people who sent them in. I will do it once all the votes have been casted:**

Chaos Number 00: Andromeda, Envoy of Galaxies

**Attack:** 2900  
**Defense:** 1500  
**Rank:** 5  
**Attribute:** LIGHT

**Appearance:**Hair has lengthened and is now floor length with silver and gold star designs. The Kimono is more of a metallic black colour with many different constellations designs on it. The constellation belt is now a bit bigger and is a silver and gold combination. The silver band is thicker and more crown like with bigger indigo and violet gems that make up her number on the band/crown. Her eyes are a red and the irises are star like.

**Effect:** You may summon this card by overlay 3 LIGHT monsters or if you control a Number 00: Andromeda Queen of the Constellations you may overlay this card (The overlay units becomes this cards overlay units). You may detach an overlay unit in order to summon a LV5 or below monster from your graveyard. This monster gains attack equal to the monster summoned by this effect until the end phase of the turn it is summoned.

Number C00: Andromeda, Queen of the Heavenly Gates  
**Rank:** 5  
**ATK:** 2900  
**DEF:** 1500  
**Attribute:** Light

**Effect:** When this monster detaches 1 Xyz Material and removes it from play, it cannot be destroyed by Trap card or Spell card effects until the end of your next turn. You can also Xyz Summon this card by using 1 "Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations" you control as the Xyz Material (Xyz Materials attached to that monster become Xyz Materials attached to this card.) You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and banish 1 card from your Graveyard, activate the following effects: (each of these can only be activated once per turn.) Monster: Target 1 monster your opponent controls, destroy that target. Spell: Target 1 face-up Spell card your opponent controls, banish that target. Trap: Target 1 Set card your opponent controls, return that target to the hand.

Number C00: Aether Queen Andromeda  
**Rank:** 5  
**ATK: **2900  
**DEF:** 1500

**Effect:** You can XYZ summon this card by using one "Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Heavens". (XYZ materials attached to that card also become XYZ materials on this card.) Once per turn, you may remove one XYZ material from this card: Destroy all the cards in your opponents Spell/Trap Zone. Aether Queen Andromeda may not attack the turn this effect is used.

**Appearance:** White skin tone, with a white kimono depicting galaxy related things. (Similar to Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations.) She has a band around her head; diamond shaped in the middle of her forehead and thins out as it circles her head. The middle is the darkest shade of purple, while it fades as it deviates out behind her head. Hair is platinum blonde now, with flashing gold eyes. Background is one large starburst directly behind Number C00: Aether Queen Andromeda and rest is pure black.

Chaos Number 00: Universe Andromeda

**Rank:** 5  
**ATK: **2900  
**DEF:** 1500

**Effect:** By removing 1 Xyz material, you can activate one of 3 effects:  
Special summon a Constellar monster from your deck.  
Raise your life points by 1000.  
Raise this monster's attack points by 300 for each Constellar monster in your graveyard or field for 1 turn.

**Appearance:** Her hair becomes snow white, the silver stars changed to gray, her entire Kimono is black with white constellations, her eyes become red like the sun, but her belt and headband stay the same.

**Name: **Number C00: Andromeda, Cosmic Angel  
**Rank:** 5  
**ATK:** 3000  
**DEF:** 1500  
**Attribute:** Light

**Effect:** When this monster detaches 1 Xyz material and removes it from play, 1 monster on the field can't attack or change its position on the field for 2 turns.

**Appearance:** Her eyes glow a brighter silver, almost white, her kimono unfolds into a pair of giant wings, revealing a blue-black sleeveless dress, silver wrap around her shoulders studded with little white stars (like the Milky Way); the band around her head becomes a silvery halo studded with blue, indigo, violet, and purple gems.

Number C00: Andromeda, Queen of the Firmament  
**Rank:** 5  
**ATK:** 3000  
**DEF:** 1500  
**Attribute:** Light

**Effect: **You can also Xyz Summon this card by using 1 "Number 00: Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations" you control as the Xyz Material (Xyz Materials attached to that monster also become Xyz Materials on this card.) Once per turn, if your Life Points are 1000 or less: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to target 1 of your banished LIGHT monsters and 1 Monster your opponent controls; return the first target to your Graveyard and, if you do, decrease the ATK and DEF of the second target by the ATK and DEF of the first target, until the End Phase.

**Image:** A dark-skinned version of Andromeda, with silver hair containing black stars, and a white ball gown covered in photo-negative images. Her eyes are now a fiery-orange colour. The staff remains the same, whilst the band becomes a silver crown, with a grey gem, resembling the moon, set into it. The number is displayed on this gem.

**China: Vote for your favourite entry, review and I'll update soon! **


	14. The Fearsome Biker: Asaya Tenjo!

**China: Hey guyssss! Welcome to the chapter you guys have all been waiting for! AND THANK YOU FOR THE 200 REVIEWS FOR THIS STORY THAT I GOT ON CHAPTER 13!**

**Yumi: That's right! We dedicate this chapter to KI.T.T. RIDER and everybody who follows Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL: Barian Storm.**

**Yuma: Next chapter we go back to following the canon events with a tiny twist.**

**Astrid: Yuma is right! Cuz we introduce the person who goes by many names! Number Hunter, The Hunter of Souls, The Lonely and Absolute Genius! **

**Astral: China has told me to say that if you don't know who she is talking about, then you are 'idiots'.**

**China: How right you guys are. Also please vote on my poll again because I only got 12 votes and it got narrowed down to four choices with three votes each. So I have started a new poll with the finalists :D Now time for the disclaimer! We even have a special guest this time and everybody who knows me knows how much I love this SOB.**

**IV: China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal or else my family and I would have stuck around for the second season.**

* * *

**?: 800  
Yumi: 700**

"Alright Tsukumo, you'll pay for insulting me and motocross riders in general! **R/C Mecha Draco Cannon** (9/3000/1400), attack her directly and end this duel!" The blonde haired duelist exclaimed as a white and green dragon shaped monster shot out lasers that were flying towards me!

"Yumi, watch out!" Shark and the audience gasped as the lasers-

* * *

**"FREEZE!" **

Oops, sorry I got ahead of myself. I bet most of you are wondering how your beloved protagonist got herself into this mess. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn't actually Yuma or Shark's fault; it was _mine_. You see, it all happened on Friday...

* * *

I really hate being back at school, I'm being scrutinized by the teachers and most of my class are being awkward around me. At first they were all being really sweet to me, but eventually they started to avoid being paired with me in some classes. I mean sure I usually alone anyway, but still! It would be nice if somebody asked to work with me. As soon as the bell for period five rung, I was the first person to leave the room.

_Damn this stupid school, I might as well start being home schooled because at least people would be less awkward around me. _I thought as I slammed my locker door.

"...so why don't you ask David to come with you to the Stunt Circus tomorrow after school? They like, do crazy stunts on motorbikes and stuff, boys love dangerous stuff like that. Once you show an interest in stuff like that, he'll be yours. Trust me on this Sandy." I turned my head to the side and I could see two third year girls deep in conversation.

_Typical valley girls with their "likes" and dumb accents, they drive me bloody insane! But on another note, what that girl talked about kinda made sense. I mean Shark rides a motorbike, so he has to love motor vehicle type of stuff. Maybe I could ask Shark to come with me to the Stunt Circus tomorrow and say it's a thank you present for what he did last week. All right, it's settled. _

As I walked away, I took out my D-Pad and started to surf the internet for more information on this 'Stunt Circus'. Apparently they've been around for nearly two years and they have this new motocross rider named Asaya Tenjo. I didn't think too much about it because Asaya is traditionally a boy name, so who cares. Only downside was the tickets were nearly sold out, but at least it was only ¥ 728.33 per ticket which I could easily afford.

I'll just stop by a ticket broker and see what I can do, fingers crossed.

* * *

After bartering with the guy for nearly half an hour, I finally got the tickets for Stunt Circus and nothing could bring my mood down.

"I got...two tickets to Stunt Circus! I got...two tickets to Stunt Circus! Da do, da do, da do." I sang as I did a little jig.

Astrid took this moment to materialise, "Observation number 14, Yumi dances like a goofball when she is happy."

I nearly fell on the floor, "Not even you can bring me down today Astrid. I got two tickets to see this famous act and I'm going to ask Shark-kun to come with me! So if he says yes, you're spending the entire day with Astral and Yuma. Its one thing to be labelled with Tuberculosis, but I don't want to add schizophrenia to my long growing hospital list. I might start a hospital wristband collection."

I already have two wristbands, so it's not going to be long before it starts to grow.

"Whaaa, whyyyyyy can't I come Yumi-chan?" Astrid moaned as she started to pout.

"Let's see, you cause me to blush, you distract me all the time, you cause me to talk to thin air and don't get me started on what you did last Wednesday." I started to tick the reasons off my fingers.

Astrid immediately denied my accusations, "That is complete and utter rubbish! I have done nothing but help you ever since I've come to this world. I help you in every single duel; I help you go to bed and if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have even realised you had a crush on him. Not to mention you act incredibly awkward around him."

What?! I do not act awkward around Shark...do I?

"When have I ever acted awkward around him?" I demanded as Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Oh, so _now_ your no longer little Miss. Perfect? You blush like mad around him, you babble like some mindless zombie and-" I cut Astrid off before she could continue the list.

_I hate to say it, but Astrid has a point...eww! Those words sound and feel so wrong. _

"Alright, you have a valid point. But haven't you ever had a crush on a guy...or Astral being person? Being around Shark just makes my heart beat faster, my palms sweaty and...and like I'm in the best duel ever and I don't know what's going to happen next." I explained as Astrid sighed.

"I have no idea Yumi-chan. Are you forgetting that I came to this world without any memories; I only remembered my name, Astral being my Nii-san, how to duel and how the Number cards are pieces of me and Astral's memory. I have no idea who my parents are, or even if I do have parents. So I definitely don't know if I did have a crush on somebody, I envy you sometimes Yumi; 'love' seems to be such a fascinating emotion." Astrid answered as she rested her hands behind her head.

_Most of the time I feel sympathy for Astral because Yuma abuses him all of the time, but I treat Astrid in the same way that Yuma treats Astral. I'm actually a horrible person if I think about it...dang it._

"Hey Astrid, you can come with me tomorrow if you want. Even if Shark refuses to come with me, well it's his loss. Even though I don't say or show it often, you actually mean a lot to me." I confessed as Astrid gave me the goofiest smile ever.

She immediately tried to give me one of her famous tackle hugs (I'm not joking, the amount of times she does this to Astral!). "Awwww, Yumi-chan that has to be the sweetest thing you've ever said to me. And don't worry about it, I know you care; you just have a different way of showing it. And I was going to secretly tag along with you anyway; at least I have your permission now."

I tried to hide my small smile, "Typical Astrid." I murmured as she started to sing.

"I'm going to the Stunt Circus! I'm going to the Stunt Circus!"

* * *

I spent the entire day hunting for Shark and I finally found him during lunchtime. I had no idea how I was going to ask him to go out with me to the Stunt Circus without making it sound too much like a date. Downplaying it would be a good idea, but it takes effort to make it sound like I'm not putting any effort into asking him out.

"Come on Yumi-chan! Just go over to him and talk to him like you talk to Bronk." Astrid exclaimed as she tried to push me, but her hands kept passing through me.

I took a deep breath, "You're right, I can do this. Wish me luck." I crossed my fingers and Astrid looked confused as to why I would.

"What happened to your fingers? They look all twisted." She stated.

"Humans do this as a sign of good luck." I answered as she started to tap her chin with her index finger.

"Observation number 15, humans do strange signs in order to grant them special powers." She mused as I walked over to Shark.

I punched him on his left arm to catch his attention, his ringed hand automatically started to rub the area I hit. "What the hell? Why did you just hit me?"

"To get your attention Silly Billy," I teased as he shot me a strange look.

"Are you feeling alright?" I felt quite offended as it wasn't a very nice look.

I swatted my hand, "Never better. It's just, I got two tickets to this motocross group called Stunt Circus and because you're a boy who owns a motorbike, I was wondering if you could come with me? You know, take pity on the girl who got put in hospital while protecting you in that tag duel last wee-"

Shark (thankfully) interrupted my babbling, "If I go with you, will you stop your rambling?"

I put my hand on my chin and pretended to think about it. "Maybe..."

Shark sighed, "Fine, I'll go with you. But it's not a dat-"

Unfortunately for Shark, I took that moment to 'glomp' (it's basically a tackle hug; Astrid gives them to Astral all the time). "Yay, thanks Shark-kun. Meet me downtown at 6:00pm in front of the train station; if you're late then you know what I will do to you." I threatened. "Well see ya later Shark." I winked at him before bouncing away.

"That went quite well, right Yumi-chan?" Astrid materialised next to me.

I beamed at her, "Yep, though I think hitting him was a bit OTT. Still never mind, I got the result I wanted."

_Now all I need to do is figure out what on Earth I'm going to wear! And what can I say to Kari?! If she finds out I'm going to see the Stunt Circus, she'll turn my guts into garters! I could always tell her that I'm hanging out with Yuma after school because he is going to this place to duel._

* * *

I decided on wearing an outfit that Tori had persuaded me to buy when we went shopping last month. It consisted of a sleeveless white and yellow top with green bows on top of the sleeves, a purple choker with a purple heart, a purple miniskirt with a big brown belt and I wore black leggings that stopped just above my knees.

I quite liked it, but I still preferred my regular outfit because it was a lot more comfortable.

"Oh la la, who are you trying to impress?" Astrid joked as she started to admire my outfit.

"Oh I'm just visiting my rock star boyfriend who is taking me out to a fancy dinner." I joked before Astrid and I burst out laughing.

"This is nice Yumi-chan; I can't have these types of conversations with Nii-san and Yuma-kun." Astrid confessed as I wiped a tear from my eye.

"Same here, its nice to have another girl in the house. Kari is serious all of the time, Cathy loves talking about either cats or Yuma, and Tori...well she can't really duel and she's too girly for me at times." I replied as I started to sort out my handbag.

I debated against whether I should take my Duel Disk or not because it is extremely clunky, but then again, nearly everybody in Heartland City is a duelist and who knows when I might be challenged to a duel. It would be absolutely foolish to not take my deck with me.

I lifted the back of my shirt off before hooking my deck, graveyard and extra deck on my waist before pulling down my shirt to cover it.

"Nice, you're taking your Duel Disk in case we encounter any Numbers, good call." Astrid commented as I got ready to leave my bedroom.

I rolled my eyes at her, "Hell no! The least attractive thing a girl can do in front of a guy is bleed to death; I'm going to spend this afternoon being a good girl by avoiding trouble. Plus we all know Astral will be keeping an eye on Yuma, so I'm not worried."

I started to run down the stairs with Astrid shooting me an unusual look, "Well if you're sure Yumi-chan. But these Number cards are not going to rest just because you are."

_I know that Astrid, but I just want to spend one day having good, clean fun! Without having to worry about these Number cards, just one day. Is that too much to ask for?!_

* * *

I spent 10 minutes waiting outside of the train station before Shark finally turned up in his regular attire and signature frown.

"What up Shark-kun, are you ready to go?" I stuck my tongue out at him.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Whatever, it's not like I have anything else to do."

Ah, typical Shark.

I grabbed his sleeve and started to drag him, "Well let's go then hotshot, I wanna get there before its gets all crowded."

"...if you say so."

_Just you wait Shark-kun; I'll get you to like me one way or another. _

* * *

The good thing about where the Stunt Circus held their performances was the fact that it was outside. The audience got to sit in metal bleachers which overlooked this humongous track which was really hard to describe; its most prominent feature was all the bumps/hills.

I noticed the girl from yesterday with a familiar looking boy; I remembered that he was one of the third year boys that had challenged me to a duel. I quickly bowed down my head and prayed that he wouldn't notice me. Shark was looking as bored as hell as he was sitting with his legs open (typical guy sitting position) and his arms crossed across his chest.

"You know, I didn't think this was your scene Yumi." Shark said, all out of the blue.

I scoffed at him, "Are you kidding? I'm all about motorsports! I only wanted to come because I heard they recruited this new biker: Asaya Tenjo. I heard he's participated in several tournaments."

Astrid simply shook her head at my comment, which was bad because if she didn't comment then I _must _have done something _really _bad. Shark looked moderately impressed for my comment, which made me feel a tiny burst of pride. However before he could answer, the show started which caused him to watch what was happening.

I'm not going to lie, most of the stuff I saw was just plain _awesome_, yet at the same time, _dumb_. I don't understand why some people would just risk their lives for a cheap thrill. It was ridiculous but at least Shark seemed to be having fun.

I spent most of my time texting on my Duel Gazer; I had no idea how much time had passed until I heard the headliner announce that 'Asaya Tenjo' would be the closing act. A person dressed in a black and gold checkered Fly Racing riding shirt, same designed pants, and black shitkickers entered on a black and yellow four-stroke motocross bike with 608 written on the front fender. I couldn't see Asaya's face because his head was covered with a matching yellow helmet that had a black tinted lens.

Now _that _sparked my interest, I quickly hid my Duel Gazer before Shark could see it.

"Sooooo, what do you think?" I asked Shark in a semi-bored tone.

He barely even glanced at me (which irked me because for me, eye contact is a must during a face to face conversation), "Its alright I suppose, but it's not something I usually watch. Now Archery, _that's_ a great sport. It requires the archer to have intense concentration and strong mental strength; it comes second after dueling for me."

My left eye was twitching by this moment in time, even Astrid looked worried.

"Yumi-chan...Are you alright?" Astrid asked while slowly backing away.

_Alright...alright...ALRIGHT?! _

I stood up from the bench before shouting at the sky, "How the hell can I be alright when I've wasted my entire evening in this dumb place?! I should have gone dueling with Yuma instead because at least he duels with more heart than these chumps ride!"

That was when I learnt a very important lesson, never _ever_ insult motocross riders if you value your life. The entire crowd immediately turned to me and shot me the dirtiest look ever while jeering at me. I know this phrase is overused and incredibly cliché, but if looks could kill then I would most _definitely _be dead.

Even Asaya Tenjo stopped his motorbike and looked in my direction. "What the fuck did you just say?!"

His voice sounded all muffled and high pitched which I found strange.

My face turned the darkest shade of crimson ever, "Nothing! Look dude, I have a tremendous amount of respect for you...I just don't respect motocross riders because they are all guys who try to act all macho and tough."

I could see Asaya's hand tighten around the clutch before he pulled off his helmet, which revealed his long mane of blonde hair, soft facial features and...Wait a sec!

"I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I'M A GIRL AND YOU'VE JUST INSULTED MY FRIENDS, MY SPORT AND ME!" Asaya roared as the entire crowd was frozen at how their beloved hero was a _girl_.

I broke the silence with my pleas, "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to insult you! I just wanted to insult this male dominated sport."

Asaya got off her bike, walked up to the bleachers and pointed a gloved finger at me. "You won't know the true meaning of the word 'sorry' until I'm through with you! Prepare to duel!"

"WAAAHHHHHHH, I'M JUST A 13 YEAR OLD GIRL WHO DOESN'T KNOW ANY BETTER!" I wailed as Shark covered his eyes with his hand.

"Why did I even agree to coming with Yumi?" He muttered under his breath, but I still managed to hear him.

"It's too late for your apologises, Loudmouth! Prepare to duel!" Asaya exclaimed as she pulled out a black R/C car controller.

Astrid floated down to my side, "I don't trust Asaya-san, Yumi-chan. Can't you see her black aura?"

I squinted at Asaya and I could see a tiny bit of black surrounding her (but that could be the black parts of her outfit).

"What's wrong with a black aura?" I asked sarcastically which Astrid took seriously.

"It means that Asaya-san is feeling very unforgiving towards you and that she is turning light into darkness...I know I don't say this often, but you should really tread carefully." She warned me as I placed my hand on my Duel Disk.

"Well Asaya, I think that in the spirit of my Onii-chan, I'll accept your challenge. Duel Disk set!" I threw part of my Duel Disk in the air so it could unfold while I attached the rest of it onto my left wrist, before the rest of it clicked on.

"Get ready to feel the _burn_!" Asaya gripped the controller and pressed the button while turning the wheel forty five degrees. With a 'clicking' sound, her Duel Gazer shot out from the controller's base before flipping wildly through the air before circling back and locking itself to Asaya's left eye. It was shaped like mine, but was more squarish and had a black lens with a gold frame.

"Duel Gazer, let's go!" I exclaimed as I unfolded my Duel Gazer and attached it to my face.

Out of the controller came two 'wings' which held two card zones each, and a cuff came out of it. Asaya placed the controller-turned-Duel Disk and inserted her Deck in the place where the battery should be, with the Deck's front facing her hand.

"Duel interface on." The entire field was briefly covered in numbers before turning back to normal.

"Duel," we both shouted as we drew our starting hand.

**Asaya: 4000  
Yumi: 4000**

"Champions first, I draw!" Asaya added her newly drawn card to her hand, giving her a total of six cards. She examined her cards before smirking, "I activate the field magic, **R/C Mecha Track**!"

The entire field transformed into a huge racing track that went round in one big circle with various R/C cars zooming around the track. I had to jump over a toy car that was driving in my direction!

Astrid admired our new surroundings, "Such a fascinating field."

"This field should give you a taste of what it's like to live life in the fast lane! If I control an R/C monster, your monster has to battle with it other else you'll take damage equal to the monsters Level × 100 that didn't battle this turn." Asaya explained as I furrowed my forehead.

"So basically the only way you won't be able to take damage is if you set a monster or not summon a monster." Astrid pointed out as I examined the cards in my hand.

"Next I activate Field Barrier which protects my field spell from being destroyed and you can't activate another field spell. Now I summon the tuner monster, **R/C Mecha: Steam Rocket **(3/300/1700) in defense mode." An R/C steam powered train appeared on the field, the front painted a deep red, the rear painted fiery orange, and the wheels were bright yellow. It had a blue coloration to it, showing it was in defense mode.

"Now I set two cards face-down to end my turn." She finished as the brown backing of the card appeared on the field in front of her.

"It's my turn, I draw! For my first move I set one monster face-down and two cards face-down to end my turn." I finished as Astrid shot me an outraged look.

"Yumi, I can't believe you made that move! You should be attacking!" Astrid screeched as I covered my ears.

"I have never seen this kind of deck before; I just need to observe her strategy more." I explained as Asaya suddenly smiled.

"Yes, its time for you to see my ace monster! I Special Summon **R/C Mecha: Hammer Shot **(6/2800/1500)! I can special summon this monster from my hand, but I must make its attack zero till the end of my next turn (6/0/1500)!" A big R/C monster truck ploughed onto the field, being completely black and having a large sledgehammer attached to its roof.

"Now when I have a face-up tuner and non tuner monster, I can Synchro Summon a monster that equals their combined levels!" My eyes widened as I heard 'Synchro Summon'. Astrid didn't realise why I looked so shocked.

"What's a Synchro Summon? I've only heard of Normal Summons, Special Summons, Tribute Summons, Ritual Summons, Fusion Summons, Xyz Summons but not Synchro Summons." Astrid listed off as I tried to stop my yawn but I failed.

"It's a very old summoning technique that dates back 15 years ago." I explained as Asaya lifted her right arm up.

"Now I tune Level three Steam Rocket and level six Hammer Shot! Transform!" Steam Rocket turned light green and burst into three rings, which surrounded Hammer Shot. Hammer Shot's body became transparent except for the outlines, six stars showing its level inside of it. "The courage and power of the world form a new creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself my inner beast! **R/C Mecha: Draco Cannon **(9/3000/1400)!"

A very large plane flew into the sky, its antenna sticking up in the air. As it flew around, a large metal dragon head stuck out from the bottom, being a brilliant green while the rest of the plane was pure white. It was a double engine plane, one engine on each wing.

The entire audience started to chatter about the new monster, Astrid started to scream and I felt like joining her because the monster was absolutely huge!

"You should be very worried because now I activate the continuous trap: **R/C Bind**. While I control a face-up 'R/C' monster, all of your monsters are forced into attack mode and they can't change their battle positions." She explained as my face-down Constellar Acubens (3/800/2000) flipped into attack mode.

"This is not good Yumi-chan!" Astrid commented as I started to panic.

"Now I attack Constellar Acubens with **R/C Mecha: Draco Cannon**!" Asaya commanded as her monster shot various laser beams at my monster. The impact caused me to fall backwards and hit the floor.

**Asaya: 4000  
Yumi: 2200**

"Yumi-chan, are you alright?" Astrid asked as I slowly got up.

I wiped my dirt covered face, "I'll live. I activate the trap card, Call of the Haunted to bring back Constellar Acubens (3/800/2000) in attack mode. Welcome back my monster." I nodded as the silver crab like monster appeared.

"I'm glad that monsters back so I can destroy it all over again next turn." Asaya shrugged as she ended her turn with another face-down.

"I summon Constellar Algiedi (4/1600/1400) and when this card is normal summoned, I can special summon another level 4 'Constellar' monster from my hand and I choose Constellar Kaust (4/1800/700)!"

A woman wearing silver armour with pink accents appeared and she was holding a wand. The Capricorn sign appeared behind her in a splash of stardust. A man wearing bright silver and blue armour appeared. He was holding a gold bow and arrow and the Sagittarius sign appeared behind him.

"I activate Solar Ray which causes you to take 600 points of damage for every LIGHT monster I control. I count three LIGHT monsters, so that's 1800 points of damage!" As soon as I said that, Asaya laughed at me which made me realise that I had fallen into some type of trap.

"I activate **Draco Cannon's** effect, during either player's turn I can negate and destroy EVERY card in the Spell and Trap card zones and my opponent takes 300 points of damage for every card destroyed. The only downside is I have to pay 2000 Life Points to activate its effect." Asaya explained as her monster shot laser beams at every Spell and Trap card which caused them to digitise.

Since five cards were destroyed, I took 1500 points of damage and Constellar Acubens was destroyed due to Call of the Haunted being destroyed. Asaya's field spell still remained due to the protection of Field Barrier.

**Asaya: 2000  
Yumi: 700**

"Darn it! I Overlay my level 4 Constellar Algiedi and Constellar Kaust to build the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon Constellar Praespe (4/2400/800) in attack mode," I exclaimed as my two monsters turned into two beams of yellow energy and flew in the air before flying into a red portal that had formed in the middle of the floor. A mechanic gold and white armoured warrior appeared on my side of the field.

"Nice move Yumi-chan! Since **R/C Mecha Track **only causes you to take damage equal to your monster's level, you won't take damage as Xyz monsters have ranks. Plus now Asaya destroyed all of her spell and trap cards, you can activate Constellar Praesepe effect and make it gain 1000 attack points until the end phase!" Astrid whooped as she started to do a little victory dance.

I was glad that she had finally caught onto my plan for once.

"Thanks for noticing Astrid, now I detach 1 Overlay Unit from my monster so it can gain 1000 attack points (4/3400/800) until the end phase." I explained as Praesepe absorbed one of its yellow Overlay units into its chest before growing taller.

"Say what now?!" Asaya's mouth dropped open as Praesepe started to punch the air.

"Looks like I'm going to attack this turn Asaya." I winked at her, "Constellar Praesepe, attack Draco Cannon!" I commanded as my monster jumped into the air and punched a hole through Draco Canon which caused it to blow up.

Asaya got hit by a few of **Draco Cannon's** broken parts, which caused her to fall to the ground.

**Asaya: 1600  
Yumi: 700**

"Now I set one card face-down to end my turn." I sighed as Praesepe lost its power up.

Asaya didn't say anything before she balled her fists into the dirt.

"Are you alright?" I asked her before she shot me a death look.

"I'll be 'alright' once you lose this duel! It's my turn so I will draw! I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards and I discard **R/C Mecha: Nitro Tank **from my hand to my Graveyard and guess what?! Its effect activates which means I can send one card on the field back to its controller's hand! So I send your Constellar Praesepe back to your Extra Deck!" She snarled as a brown tank rose from a black hole in the ground and shot a few exploding shells at Praesepe which turned it into a stream of light that flew back into my Extra Deck.

"...That's not good!" Astrid yelled as Asaya activated her next card.

"Now I activate Premature Burial to resurrect **R/C Mecha: Draco Cannon** at the minuscule cost of 800 Life Points!" Her signature monster returned to the field and it covered the entire field.

**Asaya: 800  
Yumi: 700**

"Alright Tsukumo, you'll pay for insulting me and motocross riders in general! **R/C Mecha Draco Cannon** (9/3000/1400), attack her directly and end this duel!" The blonde haired duelist exclaimed as a white and green dragon shaped monster shot out lasers that were flying towards me!

"Yumi, watch out!" Shark and the audience gasped as the lasers-

* * *

And that's the story of how I ended up getting myself into that mess. Now I bet you guys think I'm going to lose this duel, well...

* * *

"Not so fast Asaya! I activate my face-down card: Contagion of Madness! If my opponent's monster declares a direct attack, I can inflict damage to you that is equal to half the attack points of the attack ing monster at the same time I take battle damage!" I explained as Draco Cannon's lasers still connected with me and caused me to fly backwards in the air before I hit one of the hills.

Owwwwwwwww, my back!

Asaya also got hit by her monster's lasers which caused her to fly through the air as well.

"No wayyyyyyyyyy!" She shouted as she also hit the ground.

**Asaya: 0  
Yumi: 0**

**DRAW!**

The AR field disappeared as I got off my back and took my Duel Gazer off. I started to stroke my back and staggered over to Asaya.

"Ow, ow, my back hurts so much." I muttered as Astrid laughed at me.

"If only you could see yourself Yumi-chan; you're acting like your grandma Haru in the morning." She commented as I approached Asaya.

Asaya was putting her Duel Gazer and Duel Disk away. "What do you want Yumi? To make an even bigger fool out of me then you already have?"

I started to twiddle my thumbs, "Look I'm sorry that this entire mess happened. I have a problem keeping my mouth shut sometimes and it was unfortunate that this happened. Look, you're really good at what you do and it's even more impressive because you're a girl. It's obvious that you're the future. But why do you parade around as a guy? If you were a girl, wouldn't more girls want to be more involved with motor sports?" I asked.

She gave me a sad smile, "Two years ago when I started to enter motocross tournaments, _nobody_ took me seriously because most people believe that girls shouldn't be involved in a sport as rough as this. Since 'Asaya' is traditionally a boy's name, people started to think that I was a boy, which got me treated _way _better on the track. Now if you excuse me, I have to go and pick up the remaining pieces of my dignity."

And with that, she got back on her bike, pulled her helmet back on and drove away. Now I just need to find away to silently make my escap-

"Booooo!"

"You suck!"

The crowd jeered at me while throwing anything they could get their hands on. Waahhhh! This bites!

* * *

**China: That's all for now folks, just vote on my poll and review.**

**IV: Review or else you'll experience my fanservice :D**

**Yumi: Don't forget to vote on the poll either and if you have any suggestions for this story, I would LOVE to hear them!**


	15. Archers And Duelists

**China: I know I haven't updated for exactly one month, but I had school! Enjoy this chapter and for all of you who originally had problems reading chapter 14 (which is about Asaya) I suggest you read it now!**

**Kite: China Smith does not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.**

**China: Now please visit my poll, I'm thinking about changing this story to Japanese names and stuff because I've gotten more used to the Japanese version. Plus this story has been slowly shifting into the Japanese version. Visit my poll and vote!**

* * *

_Thwap! Thwap! Thwap! _

Three blue arrows had embedded themselves into the wooden frame, but _not _the target. I winced in pain as I released my three fingers from the wire/string of the bow.

The tips of my three fingers were all red and sore. After that incident with Asaya, I've decided the only way to get Shark-kun to respect me is if I become a decent archer. Unfortunately I don't seem to be very good at it, I know that Rome wasn't built overnight, but I shouldn't suck so badly.

The only excuse I have is that I'm a newbie and it is my first lesson. I suppose the other reason on why I'm sucking so bad could be how Yuma got attacked yesterday after school, I can't focus on my current task at hand. I can't forget the look on he and Astral's face, they looked heartbroken. Yuma couldn't even get out of bed this morning to go to school, Grandma allowed him to bunk off because today is Friday.

I tried to interrogate Yuma about who had done this to him, but he just stared at the wall without saying a word. I mean not even the wall of the Treasury Attic; I'm talking about his actual bedroom wall. That's how bad Yuma's situation is. Astrid stayed at home as well to see what she could coax out of Astral.

_When I find out who has done this to my onii-chan, I'm going to make them wish they never crossed Yuma! Why did I stay behind after school with Shark yesterday? If I went dueling with Tori and Yuma, I could have protected him. _

I tried to shake those thoughts out of my head, what's done is done. I can't change the past; I can only focus on the present to mould the future. I walked over to the target and pulled out two of my arrows, I was having problems taking out the third arrow because it had gotten itself stuck into the wood.

_Wow, I must have pulled the string too hard. It is really stuck in here, I need help._

Coach Andrews was supposed to be supervising me, but he had popped out of the room for a meeting. Legally he wasn't allowed to leave me on my own, but since I was the only one who had decided to stay behind after school, which was the only reason he left me unsupervised.

I was tempted to just back the equipment away and go home, when a blonde haired boy wearing the third year uniform appeared. I dropped the two arrows that I had collected, he was _hot_. I know Shark is attractive and all, but this guy is on another level! He had fair skin, grey eyes, a green fringe kinda thing and blonde hair.

I was about to leave when he turned his gaze to me and shot me a warm smile. I could feel something fluttering in my stomach and my palms were getting sweaty, I had to rub them several times on my shorts. As soon as I gave him a tight lipped smile, he walked over to me.

_Oh God, what do I say? What do I do? Alright Yumi, be as cool as possible._

"Tsukumo Yumi is name my." I said as Blondie had an amused look on his face.

"Name nice, Kite I'm." He answered with ease before a look of confusion crossed my face.

"I thought you liked speaking backwards." Kite (I think that was his name) elaborated as I let out a nervous giggle.

_Pull yourself together Yumi; you don't even act this way around Shark._

"I...felt like being different. My name is Yumi and your name is...Kite?" I asked as he nodded.

"Need any help with that arrow?" He gestured to the arrow that I couldn't get out of the wooden frame.

"I highly doubt you'll be able to get it out, it's wedged in there pretty..." I trailed off when I saw Kite pull out a silver butterfly knife out of his pocket. He pushed the blade under the arrow before prying the arrow out, he then passed me the arrow.

"There you go, that wasn't too difficult." He shrugged before folding the knife and pocketing it.

_Okay who carries a knife in their pocket?! I'm sure he's perfectly harmless._

"Thanks Kite, could you help me pack everything away? The targets are a tad heavy." I inquired as I picked up the arrows I dropped off of the floor.

His gaze shifted onto my bow and the arrow stand, "Are you any good?"

I blushed deeply; if I told him the truth then he might think I'm a loser. But if I lie and say I'm good, then he might ask me to prove it.

I strutted over to my bow and picked it up, "I'm alright I guess, if you just 'scuse right over next to me." I insisted as he walked over to me, crossed his arms across his chest and examined me.

I turned my body to the right, but I kept my head staring at the target. However no sooner had I lifted the bow, Kite stopped me from pulling the string and appeared behind me.

"Stop, stop. Your stance is all wrong, here let me show you." He put his arms around me as he touched my bow. I tried my best not to blush as my back was pressed against his chest and his hands clasped over mine.

"You need to raise your elbow to the level of your chin, and pull the string back until it touches the side of your face." He explained as he helped me to pull the string back as far as possible, I felt the string cut into my fingers and I badly wanted to release it. Kite could sense my discomfort, so he allowed me to let go of the string.

_Thwap!_

It hit the inner blue circle which made me jump up and down in joy; I finally managed to hit the target!

"You're a miracle worker." I declared as he let out a small laugh.

"Its basic physics, the trajectory of your bow was all wrong." He replied as I pulled the arrow out of the target.

The clock on the wall showed me that it was 5:00pm; I should start making my way home and check up on Yuma, Astral and Astrid.

"You're such a nerd, but thanks anyway. It was nice meeting you Kite, however I have to go home. Who knows, maybe we'll see each other around." I put my three arrows into the stand before grabbing my school bag.

"Wait, I was wondering if you would like to duel me. It's just, I'm new at Duel Monsters and I need someone to practise with." My mouth dropped open in shock; most people learn how to duel when they are like _eight_. Kite has to be at least fifteen!

I pulled my duel disk out of my school bag before dropping it onto the laminated floor and attached it to my wrist. "I'll be honoured to duel you Kite. Let's just have fun, okay? It doesn't matter who wins or loses."

"Yeah...fun." Kite's eyes flashed with...I don't know. It was too quick for me to even register, but I felt slightly uncomfortable. I still ignored the feeling and prepared my deck. I noticed that Kite didn't seem to be preparing his deck or anything; he just stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey Kite...where's your Duel Disk?" I called out.

He didn't say anything as a small, white robot rolled up next to him. I was amazed because I've never seen a robot before! Especially one that can walk!

"I'm getting to that! Go Photon Transformation!" He cried out as his body was enveloped in white light, a boomerang like object flew out of the robot's head and attached itself to Kite's wrist. To finish, a blue tattoo like thing appeared on his left eye which turned it red.

I could now see that his trousers had turned pure white, even his school shirt looked whiter (if you know what I mean) and I could see a crescent moon like Duel Disk attached to his left wrist.

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." I muttered to nobody in particular.

_Something tells me that there is more to Kite than meets the eye. But what does he want with me? Oh I wish Yuma, Astral or Astrid was here with me!_

"You have something I want Yumi, and I'll get it! I dueled your _foolish _brother yesterday and let's just say he wasn't worth my time." Kite smirked as I tightened my fists.

_So he's the reason Onii-san won't get out of bed! For the honour of the Tsukumo's, I must win this duel!_

"What did you do to Yuma?! Because of you, he refuses to even get out of bed!" I growled as he brushed my rant off.

"Simple, we dueled and I would have beaten him too if I didn't have to cut our duel short. I figured that if he hunted Numbers, then his twin sister must hunt Numbers as well. If you're as bad a duelist as him, you won't even last one turn against me." He deduced as I pulled out my Duel Gazer from my gym shorts.

_Kite thinks I'm a weak duelist; I can use this to my advantage. I'll try and phone Yuma during this duel, he may be able to give me advice on how to beat Kite's deck. Plus Kite seems to have worked out that I hunt Numbers as well, all I need to do is bust out Andromeda and not hold back. I can do this!_

"Wanna bet? Duel Disk set! Duel Gazer, lets go!" I threw my D-Pad in the air so that I could attach it to my Duel Disk. Then I clipped my Duel Gazer onto my left eye, which caused numbers to temporarily appear on the field.

"Duel interface on."

"Let's duel!" We both yelled out as we drew our starting hands.

_Yuma, even though your not with me right now, I can still feel you. As long as I have Baby Tiragon in my deck as a sign of our bond, I know that I'm never truly alone. Please lend me your strength._

* * *

**Yumi: In chapter 16, Kite and I will have our duel! Please review to inspire China so that she can review faster.**

** China: I've taken up archery so most of Yumi's experience in this chapter comes from my own personal experience. Now review and vote on the poll!**


	16. Yumi Vs Kite

**China: Here is the duel we've all been waiting for! Kite and Yumi! Who will win?!**

**Yumi: Obviously me!**

**Kite: No, me of course!**

**China: Settle down children. I need more votes on my poll because only eight people have voted and 4 people voted yes and 4 people voted no -_- so you can see my dilemma.**

**Yumi: Song of this chapter is 'Girl on Fire' by Alicia Key. China felt it matched this chapter because it describes (and most girls actually) how I feel in this chapter.**

**China: Review! And thanks to the 12 reviews I got last chapter. You guys rock and I hope you enjoy this!**

* * *

**Yumi: 4000  
Kite: 4000**

"I take the first turn, I draw!" I exclaimed as I added a sixth card to my hand.

_Alright, the best defence is usually the best offence. But by diving straight in and inflicting damage, it would increase my chances of winning this duel._

"I activate the Quick-Play spell, **Constellation Escort **to Special Summon one level 4 or lower Constellar monster from my hand. I summon Constellar Sombres (4/1550/1600) in face-up defense mode!" I slammed the card onto my Duel Disk.

A circle of white energy appeared on the centre of the field before slowly expanding and transforming into a silver armoured man. He had blue and green wings and he was encircled by a blue circle which contained the Zodiac signs. It reminded me of the Sombrero Galaxy because of the disk that was encircling it.

"Next I Normal Summon Constellar Pollux (4/1700/600) in attack mode."

The Gemini constellation formed in the air before shining brightly, a man wearing silver armour appeared on the field. He yelled as he slashed a two prong sword in mid-air and posed.

I quite Constellar Pollux because it represents the Gemini constellation and the Gemini star sign means 'the twins'.

"And what makes Constellar Pollux so special? He lets me Normal Summon another Constellar monster from my hand! Come on out, Constellar Algiedi (4/1600/1400)." I grinned as a woman wearing silver armour with pink accents appeared and she was holding a wand. The Capricorn sign appeared behind her in a splash of stardust.

"Tee hee, now the fun truly begins! When Algiedi is Normal Summoned, her effect allows me to Special Summon another level 4 Constellar monster from my hand. I summon Constellar Kaus (4/1800/700) in attack mode."

A man wearing bright silver and blue armour appeared. He was holding a gold bow and arrow and the Sagittarius sign appeared behind him before disappearing.

"Alright, I activate the spell card, **Constellar Draw**. This lets me draw one card from my deck for every face-up Constellar monster on the field.I control four so I get to draw four more cards." I replenished my hand to four cards because my combo had used up my entire hand.

_Yes! I have the cards needed to make Kite lose 2000 Life Points this turn! I just need to play this right; I'll show him that I'm not a bad duelist like Yuma._

"I activate Double Summon to Normal Summon again this turn, I choose Fairy Archer (3/1400/600) in defense mode." I sighed as a pale skinned female fairy with short brown hair appeared in front of me. She wore a blue bodysuit with a green leaf skirt, to finish; she was holding a yellow bow and arrow (which I found ironic as archery is what got me in this situation).

"Now Fairy Archer's effect activates, for every LIGHT monster on the field, I can inflict 400 points of damage to my opponent. Please accept this gesture!" I yelled as Fairy Archer drew her bow and shot five arrows at Kite.

**Yumi: 4000  
Kite: 2000**

The impact caused him to nearly lose his footing, but he still stood strong and silent.

"What's the matter Kite? You sure seemed to feel like talking a few minutes ago." I snickered as I ended my turn with one face-down card.

The robot started to panic, "M-Master Kite. Your Life P-"

"I'm perfectly aware of this Orbital! She just got lucky! It's my turn, I draw!" Kite snarled as he added a sixth card to his hand. "I activate Photon Sanctuary to summon two Photon Tokens (4/2000/0) in defense mode."

Two balls of light blue energy appeared onto the field in front of Kite, three smaller balls of the same colour orbited the larger balls.

_Great, he could switch the tokens to attack mode and use them to attack Fairy Archer! That would ruin my strategy! But then again, if he does attack I can activate Doble Passé to change it into a direct attack and vice versa._

"My Photon Token cannot attack and I can't summon other monsters this turn unless they are LIGHT monsters." He explained as my mouth dropped open.

_So why the heck would he summon those Photon Tokens?! Fairy Archer's ability will still activate next turn and get of the rest of his Life Points?!_

"What the fuck! Why would you summon those stupid tokens?" I demanded as he smirked once again.

"Prepare yourself Yumi; I summon Photon Cerberus (3/1300/600) in attack mode. And the turn this beast is summoned, neither of us can activate any trap cards!" He snapped as a three headed blue and red dog appeared on the field. As it barked, my face-down card was completely chained which prevented me from being able to activate it.

"Say it ain't so!" I gasped as Kite continued with his turn.

I knew he must have something else up his sleeve because his monster isn't strong enough to destroy any of my monsters.

"I activate Photon Trident, until the end of this turn my Cerberus gains 700 attack points (3/2000/600) and that's not all. I tribute my two Photon Tokens to summon my ultimate beast! The galaxy that lurks in the darkness, become the light of hope and my very servant. The embodiment of light, now descend! Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon (8/3000/2500)!" Kite's body started to glow as a blue and gold trident attached itself to the side of Cerberus.

Suddenly a giant red three pointed star appeared in next to Kite who grabbed it and threw it into the air. Galaxies and other constellations started to form itself around the star until a gigantic blue and red dragon had formed. It let out a mighty roar which was so scary! I took a step backwards and nearly screamed.

"That's the same reaction your brother had yesterday when he saw Galaxy-Eyes, and now you're about to see why he's my most feared creature! I equip Galaxy-Eyes with Photon Spear so that it can inflict piercing damage! Galaxy-Eyes! Destroy Fairy Archer with Photon Stream of Destruction" He commanded as Galaxy-Eyes spat out a stream of blue light which vaporised Fairy Archer. She screamed before becoming digitised.

Unlike Kite, I ended up losing my footing and I screamed as I hit the ground.

**Yumi: 2400  
Kite: 2000**

"Is that all you got?!" I challenged him from the ground.

He tittered, "You'll wish you never said that! Photon Cerberus, attack Constellar Algiedi!"

It ran towards Algiedi before pouncing on her and biting her until she was destroyed. I could feel the force of the impact and I was glad that I was already on the floor.

**Yumi: 2000  
Kite: 2000**

"Now since Photon Trident is still in effect and I inflicted battle damage, I can target one Spell or Trap card on the field and destroy it! Say goodbye to your face-down card!" Cerberus roared at my face-down card which digitised it. "Now I end my turn with one face-down!"

_Darn it! Kite and I seem to be evenly matched! Both of us have only had one turn, yet we've already managed to white each other down to 2000 Life Points. I need to pull myself to my feet and make my move! _

Without too much difficulty, I got to my feet and drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards! Now I banish Fairy Archer from my Graveyard to special summon Ghost Ship (5/1900/1000)!"

A broken demonic looking ship sailed onto the field, wailing spirits were orbiting it.

"I activate Constellar Kaus' special ability to increase its level by one which makes it level 5!" I explained as a plan formulated in my head.

_Time for me to summon the monster which will end it all! _

"I overlay my level 5 Ghost Ship and Constellar Kaus to build the Overlay Network!" My two monsters transformed into two beams of yellow light which flew into the galaxy hole that was in the middle of the field. "Come forth Number 00! The queen who's light burns through the darkest of galaxies! Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations (5/2900/1500)!"

In the middle of my field, planets, stars and entire galaxies emerged on what appeared to be a black robe of some sort. Suddenly it started to unfurl until it had formed a pale skinned woman with a regal appearance. She had long black hair that was decorated with silver stars, a floor-length black kimono that was decorated with planets, stars and galaxies.

To finish, she had a silver constellation belt around her waist, a thin silver band around her head decorated with indigo and violet gems of all shades and silver, star-like eyes. The number '00' appeared on the center of her kimono as two beams of yellow light flew around her.

"Ah, your Number card has finally appeared." He smirked as I felt ice slither down my neck.

"I Overlay my level 4 Constellar Sombres and Pollux in order to construct the Overlay Network!"

My two monsters transformed into two beams of yellow light which flew into the red hole that had appeared in the middle of the field.

"When the Constellation of Cancer joins with a new ally, an open cluster of stars will shine through! The Beehive Cluster, Constellar Praesepe (4/2400/800) in attack mode!" A golden mechanical crab like monster appeared out of the portal. One hand was a pincher and the other was a black fist. To show that Praespe was a Constellar monster, it had the golden Constellar Crest on its chest.

_Alright, if he is a Number Hunter then that means he must be prepared for me to attack him using Numbers. I need to check the effects of his Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon._

I touched my D-Pad, zoomed in on Kite's side of the field and touched Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon's card:

**Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 2 monsters you control with 2000 or more ATK. When this card battles an opponent's monster, during the Battle Step: You can banish this card and that monster. The monsters banished by this effect are Special Summoned at the end of the Battle Phase. If the banished monster was an Xyz Monster, this card gains 500 ATK for each Xyz Material that monster had when it was banished.**

_Alright, Kite is expecting me to use Andromeda to attack and then he's going to banish both monsters and cuz Andromeda is an Xyz monster, Galaxy-Eyes will become 4000. Good thing I have this card combined with Andromeda's effect._

"Come on! I haven't got time for all this crap! Make your move or surrender!" Kite shouted in an impatient tone.

I rolled my eyes as I set my plan into motion, "I activate the continuous spell card, Burden of the Mighty! Each face-up monster my opponent controls loses 100 ATK x its own Level! Galaxy-Eyes is level 8, so its attack gets lowered by 800 (8/2200/2500)!" I bellowed as Galaxy-Eyes roared as if it was in pain and its glow dulled.

"Now Andromeda, show that Number Hunter why we're the only duelists that the other Number Holders should fear! You should attack Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon with Cosmic Blast!" I ordered as Andromeda clasped her hands together to summon a ball of stardust when Kite tried to interrupt me.

"Hold on! Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon's effect-" I interrupt Kite mid rant.

"No! How about you wait a sec! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can negate all spell, trap and monster effects until the start of my next turn!" I grinned as one of the beams of light surrounding Andromeda flew into her belt, which caused a shower of stardust to sprinkle all over Kite's field and the glow of his Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon stopped completely.

Kite looked angry as hell, "What have you done?!"

"Whatever I can to win this duel and avenge Yuma! Andromeda-ahhhhhh, why must _she _be phoning me right now?" I screamed as I saw Kari phoning me.

"Yumi, why aren't you home right now?! And...Are you dueling?!" Her nostrils started to flare as she looked around the field.

I swatted my hand and tried to dismiss it, "Me? Dueling? That's such a funny joke Kari. I would _never _duel."

I might have gotten away with it if Kite didn't butt in with his big mouth.

"Less talking and more dueling! You're not the only person whose soul I have to snatch!" I cringed at every word in his sentence and it only confirmed Kari's suspicions.

"Yumi Tsukumo, when you get back home I'm so grounding you! And who is that boy anyway?! And what did he mean by-" I managed to hang up the call by then and secretly cursed myself for not hanging up sooner.

"My my, so the little girl forgot to tell her big sister about her secret life as a Number Hunter. I wonder how she'll react when the next time she sees you, you've lost your soul." Kite started to toy with me as I tightened my fists.

_I can't let Kite get to my head because then I'll actually lose this duel, the key to winning is keeping a calm head._

I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths in order to compose myself. When I opened them, I gave Kite the biggest smile I could muster.

"You're forgetting who has the upper hand, Kite. Andromeda!Use Cosmic Blast!" I commanded once again as Andromeda threw a ball of stardust at Galaxy-Eyes which caused it to roar in pain before digitising.

**Yumi: 2000  
Kite: 1300**

"Ahhhh," Kite failed to keep his footing and fell on his back.

"K-Kite-sama," the robot showed concern for his master by zooming over to Kite and trying to help him up.

Kite simply swatted the white android out of the way before barking at it. "I don't need your help! Now end your turn!" Kite jumped back onto his feet.

"Now why would I do that when Praesepe can attack Photon Cerberus? Go Constellar Praesepe!" I shouted as Praespe jumped in front of Cerberus and used his pincer arm to squeeze Praesepe to digital pieces.

Kite fell a few inches back, but managed not to lose his footing this time.

**Yumi: 2000  
Kite: 200**

"Now I'll end my turn." I stated in a confident tone of voice.

You know, most people by this point in a duel would be wetting themselves. Kite wasn't one of them; he somehow managed to keep his face neutral the entire time.

"I set one monster face-down and two cards face-down to end my turn." Kite finished as I drew my next card.

"I activate the Quick-Play spell, Space Cyclone! This allows me to detach one Xyz Material from one monster on the field, and I choose that Number of yours!" Kite smirked as a cyclone whipped through the field and surrounded Andromeda.

_Darn it, Andromeda's effect wore out at the start of this turn! And even if I do use an Overlay Unit, it'll be pointless because I'll still lose Andromeda's Overlay Unit. _

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Kite mocked me as Andromeda's Overlay Unit got taken away by the cyclone. Her appearance looked a tad rough as her hair was all ruffled and her clothes were torn.

I took one step back, "Not yet Kite! I activate the field spell, Xyz Territory!" I held up the card as the entire field was surrounded by a sphere which consisted of red, blue and yellow swirls.

"When an Xyz Monster battles another monster, that Xyz Monster gains 200 attack and defense x its Rank, during damage calculation only. If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed by a card effect, I can detach one Xyz Material from a monster I control instead." I explained as Kite snorted.

"That won't make a difference considering you'll lose on your next turn." Kite smirked as I glared at him.

"Who's the one with 200 Life Points left? Andromeda will now attack that face-down monster of yours! Plus since she's attacking another monster, her attack increases by 1000 because her Rank is 5 (5/3900/1500)!" Andromeda's clothes changed from its shades of purple to red, blue and yellow.

However as she threw a ball of stardust at Kite's set monster, a pink marshmallow like monster flipped itself over and jumped onto me. I used my left arm to block the attack, but it simply engulfed my Duel Disk before returning to Kite's field.

**Yumi: 1000  
Kite: 200**

I was about to ask, "What was that?" when I had to fight back a cough. I managed to muffle it, but my throat felt all raw and some liquid was pooling in my mouth. Since we were still inside the School Gym I couldn't just spit it out, but if I didn't spit it out then I wouldn't be able to talk. I could always swallow it but that idea wasn't very appealing either.

In the end, I had to spit out the rust coloured liquid from my mouth. Kite looked disgusted at what I did, but he made no comment.

"Marshmallon (3/300/500) can't be destroyed in battle and if you attack this card while its face-down; you take 1000 points of damage." He explained as I dry coughed.

_Kite planned this move perfectly, Praesepe won't be able to destroy it and next turn he'll be able to tribute Marshmallon to summon a more powerful monster._

"I end my turn with two face-downs."

_Come at me Kite._

"I activate the spell card, Photon Sublimation and by banishing two Photon monsters from my Graveyard to draw two cards. I banish Photon Cerberus and Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon to draw two cards. Next I activate the trap card: Spiritual Light Art – Hijiri. By tributing Marshmallon and targeting one of my banished monsters, I can Special Summon the banished monster. Usually my opponent can reveal one trap card from their hand to negate this effect, but your hand is empty so you can't stop me from summoning back my star performer. Roar, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon (8/3000/2500)!" Kite lifted his right hand in the air as a blue portal appeared in the middle of the field.

I could feel sweat beading on my forehead at the thought of that..._monster _coming back to the field. Andromeda's effect won't be able to negate it, but Doble Passé can end this turn in a draw. My second face-down Waboku combined with Doble Passé will guarantee my victory. And just in case Kite activates any trap card during the battle phase, I have Trap Jammer to negate that trap.

Galaxy-Eyes stuck its head through the portal before its body slowly followed it through. It suddenly roared which caused me to yelp before I jumped.

"Well Burden of the Mighty still lowers your Galaxy-Eyes to 2200." I pointed out as Kite smiled.

"I activate Heavy Storm to destroy every single spell and trap card on the field!" A powerful storm erupted throughout the field and destroyed all of my face-down cards; it would have destroyed my field spell if I didn't detach Xyz Material from Constellar Praesepe.

"Is that all you got Kite (?)" I mocked him.

"I'm glad you asked that my little friend. I activate Galaxy Storm and by targeting one face-up Xyz monster on the field with no Xyz Materials, I can destroy it. Now guess which monster I'm going to choose (?)" I was speechless as Andromeda screamed before blowing up.

I'm not going to lie, I was absolutely flabbergasted! Plus Kite can attack this turn!

"Now Galaxy-Eyes will battle your Constellar Praesepe, and during either player's Battle Step I can banish both monsters!" He explained as Galaxy-Eyes pinned Praesepe with its body before turning them both into gold sparks.

"I end my turn with a face-down." Kite's eyes narrowed as both our monsters returned in a flurry of golden sparkles.

"Since Galaxy-Eyes banished a Xyz monster with Xyz Materials, it gains 500 for every material the Xyz monster banished had! Since Constellar Praesepe had one, Galaxy-Eyes is now 3500!" One ball of yellow light flew down from the heavens before Galaxy-Eyes ate it.

"I-I-I draw," I put my right hand onto my deck, but I couldn't draw.

When I looked down at my hand and I realised that it was shaking really badly.

_What am I feeling...fear? _I thought before coughing up some more blood.

"Is the widdle bayby afraid?" I snapped back to my senses before drawing my next card.

I felt like my heart had torn in two because I had drawn Luminous Spark. This card was useless because it increases every LIGHT attribute monster's attack by 500 and that would benefit Kite as well.

I fell to my knees and I dropped the only card in my hand, out of the corner in my eye I could see it gently floating in the breeze before it rested a few inches to my right.

_I've lost this duel, even if I do switch Praesepe to defense mode, he might summon another monster. I can't believe I'm going to die, just this morning I was really optimistic about how brilliant this day would be. _

"I knew it was only a matter of time before you would breakdown. Now you have two choices: you can surrender and I promise I'll make this as painless as possible. Or you can continue your foolish crusade to beat me, the choice is yours."

_If I surrender to Kite then this duel can only go one way and it won't be pretty for either of us. I can't give up, even if I'm about to lose I can't give up!_

"You...you...you can go to hell because I'm not going to quit! I'm going to beat you because I have too much to live for! Even if this situation appears hopeless, I will never _give up_!" I ranted as my right arm started to burn.

I looked at my bracelet and I could see it was glowing a light pink colour.

"What the..." I trailed off as I heard a soft female voice, it almost sounded like a whisper of some sort.

"Don't give up Sweetheart..." I almost dropped my Duel Disk, it sounded like _Mum_.

"Mum?" I whispered as I rose to my feet.

"Chaos Xyz Change, it's the only way...Constellar Praesepe..."

"Mum! Please come back! Don't leave me! Mum..." A tear trickled down my cheek as I thought about her.

She's missing, presumed dead and just when I'm about to die, I hear her voice. What the Hell is wrong with me? Am I losing so badly that I'm hallunating?

"You are a really strange child, your crying out for your mother? That's pathetic!" Kite chuckled as I clenched my hand into a fist and pointed it at him.

"How...dare...you?! My mother was- I mean _is _a saint and with her deck I will beat you!" I closed my eyes and clasped my hands together.

_Please my deck, answer to my heart and wishes. I want to defend Yuma, Astrid and Astral, please..._

My eyes snapped open and I suddenly knew what I had to do. I can't explain it, but it's like there's something in my head telling me what to do!

"Because my Life Points are 1000, I can perform something that you've never seen before! I overlay my Constellar Praespe with itself!" I held my hand up one more time and Kite's jaw dropped open.

"What did you just say?! That's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible! Chaos Xyz Change! Show yourself, Constellar Ptolemy M7 (6/2700/2000)! The power of the stars mixed with the power of the cosmos!" Constellar Praesepe flew up into the air before flying down a black portal.

A new Constellar monster that I had never seen before flew out of the portal. At first all I could see were these large wings that if you looked closely at, you could see that it was the Ptolemy Cluster which is an open cluster of stars in the constellation of Scorpius. However my eyes widened when the rest of it flew out, it was a dragon that was nearly as tall as Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon! Ptolemy was made up of the standard Constellar white and gold with the crest in the centre of its chest; it looked like a mash-up between Constellar Antares and Constellar Alrescha. It was being orbited by a single ball of light.

I found it more alluring than Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon because even if you could see entire galaxies in its eyes, Constellar Ptolemy M7's wings were made out of its own Constellation.

Kite's face started to blanche, "I've never seen a monster summoned that way before. But no matter! It's still a Xyz Monster, so if you attack my dragon then it'll only power it up more! Plus it's still weak; you've got no chance of winning!"

I started to massage my temples with my fingers because I could feel a migraine coming on. I finally managed to stop coughing, but my throat still killed.

"That's where you're wrong! I can detach one Xyz Material from this card and I can target one _monster _card on the field or Graveyard and return it to its owner's hand! I choose Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"

"You can't!"

"Oh but I can!"

Ptolemy ate its last Overlay Unit before flying into the air and roaring at Galaxy-Eyes. The vibrations from the roar turned it back into a ball of light which flew into Kite's hand.

"Now Ptolemy, attack Kite directly and end this duel! Chaos Scorpius Roar," I instructed just as Kite chose to activate his face-down at the last minute.

"If you think I'm letting you win this duel, you've got another thing coming! I activate the trap, Ring of Destruction. I can destroy one face-up monster on the field and inflict damage to both players' original to the destroyed monster's attack!" Kite explained as a black collar that had grenades attached to it flew onto my monster's neck before detonating.

The blast from the attack knocked both Kite and I off of our feet's. Smoke flooded the entire field.

**Yumi: 0  
Kite: 0**

When the smoke had finally cleared, Kite was nowhere to be found. I immediately ran outside and I could see him mounting a white motorbike.

He turned to face me, "I would say you got lucky, but we both know that's not true. As long as you're a Number Hunter, we'll meet again. My name is Kite Tenjo, remember it."

And with that, Kite fully mounted his bike before zooming off in the blink of an eye. I took off my Duel Gazer and just processed what happened before I burst into tears.

_I came so close to losing and I risked everything. I knew collecting Numbers would be dangerous, but I didn't think other people would be hunting them. I got lucky this time, but what if I lose next time?_

My hands were shaking so badly that when I picked my Duel Gazer to phone Yuma, I accidently called Shark (or maybe subconsciously I wanted to phone him) who answered almost immediately.

"What?" He grunted before he got a closer look at my face. "What happened to you?"

I only bawled harder at his words, "D-D-Dueled a N-N-Number Hun-hun."

I couldn't even get my words out because I was that distraught.

"Are you saying Numbers duel?" I shook my head at his guess.

"I-I-I dueled a N-N-Number Hun-hun-ter." I hoped that got some of the message across.

Shark looked slightly concerned (but only slightly), "Number Hunter? Okay I can't understand you, where are you?" He sighed in a slightly irritated tone.

_Shark can be so insensitive sometimes, _"S-S-School Gy-gy-gym."

He hung up by that point and I felt more confused than I had before.

_Shark is an evil prick who needs to work on his empathy skills; most people are nicer to a crying girl. _I thought as I sank to knees and cried my eyes out.

* * *

"So why are you crying?" Shark asked as I looked up from my current position.

I covered my eyes and tried my best to dry them, but to no avail. I was even about to use my T-shirt when Shark stopped me.

"That's just disgusting, here." He dug into both of his trouser pockets before handing me a crumpled tissue.

I was wary about using it because I didn't know if Shark had already used it or not. He caught my eyes and sighed.

"Don't worry, its clean. Now dry your eyes." He insisted as I did what I was told.

As soon as I had partially regained a bit of my sanity, I realised that I must look so unattractive right now. I mean red face and bloodshot eyes, not a very nice look. But I've been seen in worse states so I got over that fact pretty quickly.

"Thanks for coming...even though I mean to phone Yuma." I confessed as Shark helped me to my feet.

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. This room looks like a bomb hit it, care to explain."

It wasn't a question, it was a demand. So I told him all about Kite and what he had done to Yuma.

"Number Hunter, if you ask me, Numbers are just too much trouble. But they are still powerful cards and this 'Kite' sounds like a bastard."

_Shark loves using that word way too much._

"I don't even know why I'm telling you all this shit, its not like you care. So why don't you just go back home, I don't need you anymore." I tried to sound harsh but I sounded like somebody had drained the life out of me.

"You're right, I don't care. But if somebody who is usually as perky as you, starts to cry, _then _its clear that person isn't just crying over some dumb thing. Now come on, it's clear you need some cheering up." Shark stated as he started to walk halfway down the field before stopping.

"Are you coming?" He asked before I took a second to consider his offer and ran after him.

"Wait for me Shark-kun!"

* * *

**Yumi: Shark-kun :3**

**China: I hope the ending of this chapter satisfied all you fluff lovers, and watch out for chapter 17 because that will have some major Shark X Yumi moments.**

**Yumi: Don't worry; Shark will still be in character. Just like in this chapter, Shark may be getting closer to Yumi but he is still a very complex person with trust issues. He feels like the type of person to tell a crying person 'get over it' when they are feeling down.**

**China: You said it Yumi, now review! I accept all forms except flames. Any ideas for what you guys want to see in chapter 17? I would love suggestions!**


	17. Ice Cream Therapy And Happy Memories

**China: Thanks to the really lovely people who have been reviewing :D It really inspires me to write this story.**

**Yumi: Because so many people had a comment about Chapter 16, China is going to answer some of your questions/comments:**

**DragonKnight15: Kite used Marshmallon because it is a really good LIGHT attribute monster that can't be destroyed in battle and inflicts effect damage. Yumi didn't chain Waboku because even though she is a more skilled duelist than Yuma, she still has a looooong way to go before she becomes one of the best. **

**Constellar Ptolemys 7 is one of the four monsters that can be Chaos Xyz Summoned (I didn't realise that before I started the story okay?) and I decided to make its summoning more anime like. I decided to scrap its effect not being activated on the turn it is special summoned because that would _not _help Yumi at all, consider it a anime effect everybody!**

**Light-Sakura: I know we've already discussed this but it made me realise that I have to clarify some stuff to other readers XD Yumi is not a Mary Sue because lets face it you guys, every time she tries to help she makes it worse. Epic Yumi moments can be found in Chapters 2, 6, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 15. **

**Those are the chapters where you can see Yumi mess up on several occasions because she underestimated someone, didn't realise how her 'condition' would affect others, approached somebody in a bad way, ended up making a bigger mess when she wanted to help, kept sacrificing herself even though it was killing her because she wanted to prove a point, insulted a bunch of motor sport lovers and she is just generally bad in archery because she _lacks_ the focus required.**

**Yumi: Don't forget how I don't always win duels.**

**China: But if you compare chapter 1 Yumi with chapter 17 Yumi, then we can clearly see how much Yumi has grown.**

**Astrid: So far the poll has 11 votes with 6 people wanting me to change to Japanese and 5 wanting me to keep it the same. China will give every reader one last chance to vote because she will close it by the time she updates chapter 18 which will be sometime next week.**

**Yuma + Yumi: NOW ENJOY THIS CHAPTER AND THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!**

* * *

"Here, this always cheered Regi- I mean this girl I knew - up." Shark handed me a paper tub that was overfilled with a white swirl of cream...also known as Vanilla Ice Cream.

He sat in the chair opposite me with his own tub of blue ice cream, who knew Shark loved Blue Moon Ice Cream. I observed Shark as he took the orange plastic spoon, scooped out some Ice Cream and spooned it into his mouth.

Shark caught my eyes and lowered his spoon. "Aren't you going to eat?"

Normally I loved Ice Cream and ate it whenever I could, but today I just didn't feel like it. I thrust the red plastic spoon into the white substance and lifted it to my mouth; however I couldn't bring myself to eat it because I just didn't feel like it.

"No, I'm not hungry." I sighed before dropping the spoon.

"When are you going to get over this 'depression' act of yours? So you nearly lost a duel? Big whoop! When I lost that duel to Yuma, I had _my_ own problems because I wondered how someone as skilled as me could lose to an amateur like Yuma. Just be glad you _didn't _lose that duel to Kite and you still live to tell the tale." Shark pointed his spoon in an accusing manner at me.

_This is totally different to Shark's situation, he didn't nearly die. Although if he still ran with The Pack..._

I rested my head on my left hand, "Yeah but-"

"But what," he roared. "You're just picking at straws here! Stop acting like a lost puppy without its master! Without Yuma you act like you can't do anything!"

I immediately stood up and pointed my finger at him, "You have _no _right to say that Shark! You don't know what I'm going though! No one does! Yuma has a lot of pressure on him as well!"

I didn't expect Shark to stand up, "Shut up! You don't know what you're fucking talking about!" Before he sat back down on his chair and clammed up.

_I think I've hit a sore spot for Shark. Okay I need to think back to what I said, I mentioned Yuma, pressure and how Shark had no right to criticise. All I know about Shark is how he got kicked out of the Duel Nationals last year and in that tag duel two week ago, he whispered that he had no choice which insinuated he was under pressure. Shark wouldn't have acted that way if he was in his right state of mind, so I think something might have happened to a close relative of his because of how he acted when I mentioned Yuma...or am I just making mountains out of molehills?_

I sat back down of my chair and placed my hand on top of Shark's in an attempt to comfort him, but he yanked his hand away. I knew I had to change the subject from the look of his eyes.

"So...how old were you when you started dueling?" I asked as Shark started to twirl the silver ring on his pinkie finger.

"Six." He said immediately as I smiled.

"Same here, I think six is the most common age that one learns how to duel."

The most common age to learn how to read is usually three to four, and considering most children mature by age six, that's the most common age.

"Why do you use a Constellar deck instead of a Madolche deck? You once told me that you preferred to use your okaa-sama's deck instead if your own. Care to explain?" Shark raised one of his purple eyebrows and I dropped my spoon (again).

"My kaa-chan was...I mean _is _a wonderful person." I corrected myself as I bowed my head.

_Kaa-chan, why did you have to disappear with Tou-chan?_

The table turned into a big blue blur as my tears started to inhibit my eyesight.

"Was?" Shark sounded confused, but I couldn't bring myself to look at his face.

"S-s-she, I don't want to talk about it." A few tears managed to spill out of my eyes, so I closed them in an attempt to stop the flow. "I-I rather remember all the happy memories I have of her."

"Are you crying?" He sounded rather embarrassed, so I lifted my head up and smiled at him without opening my eyes. I could feel tears trailing down my cheeks, but I ignored it.

"If you don't mind Shark-kun, you're allowed to have your secrets. Please, let me have mine, at least until I know you a bit better. This is still a sensitive issue that not even Yuma and I talk about." I informed him as I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.

"But in answer to your question, the Constellar deck allows me to carry a piece of my kaa-chan wherever I go. It also symbolises my growth as a duelist, my Madolche deck has potential but it reminds me of six year old Yumi. One day I will go back to using Madolche, but only when I know that I can evolve even more as a duelist."

I opened my eyes and I didn't understand why Shark looked amused.

"Wipe that grin off of your face." I whined as he smirked.

"Sometimes I can't believe you're a thirteen year old girl, especially when you wipe your eyes like a little kid." He answered as I grabbed my Ice Cream tub, scooped up a bit of Ice Cream and threw it at Shark's face.

It hit him smack on his nose before sliding down his face.

"Now who looks like a little kid?" I said in a triumphant tone before he grabbed his own Ice Cream tub and thrust it into my face.

My nose was the first to go in and it was freezing! I pulled my nose out of the tub and shot him my best death glare.

"Still you, check and mate." He snickered as I tried to calm myself down.

"I know that I probably deserved that, but you shouldn't sink to my level Shark-kun." I grabbed the pile of napkins next to me and started to dab at the mess on my nose.

"Last question, what would you say that your okaa-sama has taught you?" I halted my movements as I allowed my mind to drift off.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_As soon as I had come home from school, I ran straight to my bedroom and slammed the door before crying in my bed. It was so unfair what happened today!_

_After a few minutes I hear a knock on my door. "Yumi, did something happen at school?" Mama asked as she opened my door._

_I lifted my head up slightly before bursting into tears again. "I-I didn't get p-p-picked to be in the s-s-school play!" _

_She walked over to me and enveloped me in a hug. "Oh sweetheart, did they say why?"_

_I breathed in her sweet scent and instantly felt a sense of comfort. "I-I froze up on stage and I couldn't s-sing."_

_She wiped some of my hair out of my face, "But you sung beautifully at home."_

"_Everybody was watching me. I couldn't sing with everybody looking at me." I informed her before she kissed my forehead._

"_Sweet pea, in life you won't always get what you want. The most important thing is that you tried...well at least you managed to get on the stage. I'm sure that next time you'll be able to let everybody hear your beautiful voice, you'll never know unless you try."_

* * *

I know that I fail everything I try (archery, maths, cooking, dancing, you name it), but the only thing I'm actually good at is dueling (obviously) and...Singing which is a secret passion of mine. I've always been shy in front of strangers and it's even worse if I'm performing on stage. When you're dueling you can just focus on your cards and block out the audience, with singing it's not as easy.

My kaa-chan taught me that true courage comes from within and you'll never succeed in life unless you try. Even though I'm more of an introvert, I believe that I'm still fairly courageous because I try to attempt new activities and I will _always _defend my friends.

I licked my dry lips and cradled my ice cream tub before answering. "She taught me that _true _courage comes from within, not like willingly doing stupid stunts like Onii-chan. But Onii-chan does follow one of the lessons our parents taught us, that you'll never succeed in life unless you try."

"Is that why Yuma is always doing his 'go with the flow' crap?" I nodded as my Duel Gazer started to ring.

"One sec." I held my finger up as I answered my Duel Gazer.

I was surprised to see that it was Yuma, why on Earth would he be phoning me at this time?

"Hey Imouto," Yuma teased me. He only called me Imouto to sometimes annoy me when he was in a good mood.

"I see you've cheered up, I'll be home in thirty minutes-" Yuma interrupted me before I could finish my sentence, which was typical Yuma.

He started to scratch the back of his head, "Uh that's the thing. I'm not coming home tonight, basically Obaa-san sent me to this dojo place and there are all these cool statues! I took Tori and Bronk with me and since we missed the last bus, we won't be back until tomorrow. So take care and avoid Kari, she's been really tetchy all day."

_You have no idea, _I thought before I went back to my conversation with Yuma.

"Alright Yuma, try not to hurt yourself. Bye." I hung up on him before throwing my ice cream tub in the bin. "I had fun today Shark-kun, and I'll pay you back for the Ice Cream first chance I get." I stood up from my seat and grabbed my gym bag.

Shark mimicked my actions and walked with me to the door. "Pay me on Monday, no objections."

_I expected that, but at least Shark is being nice...even if it isn't the traditional method._

"I always pay people back, I feel guilty because I don't like the feeling of owing someone." I confessed as I opened the door and felt the brisk spring wind washing over me.

It wasn't until I saw that the sun was setting that I realised how late I was, it had to be around 8pm or so. Kari was _so _going to murder me because I didn't phone her.

"I know what you mean, except I don't feel guilty. I just view it as some sort of debt that must be paid because if you owe someone they could use it against you." Shark admitted as I looked around for a bus stop.

I _should _have enough Yen to pay for my bus fare.

"...fair point. See you around school Sharky, one of these days I'll get you to reveal your real name Kastle-san." I giggled as I practically _skipped _to the bus stop.

"Hang on a second; don't you think it's too late to catch a bus?" He called out as I remembered what Yuma had told me a few minutes prior.

_Damn it! Looks like I'm going to have walk home...or worse! Phone Kari for a lift and Kari will murder me!_

I halted, "That's right, I forgot. I'm going to have to walk home, there's no way I can ask Kari for a lift." I wailed as he covered his ears.

"Stop crying! I'll drop you off at home if you show me where you live!" He shouted as I stopped my crying.

I clasped my hands together, "Really?"

Shark took his hands off of his ears with an annoyed look on his face. "Yes really. The last thing I want is for the police to knock down my door at like 3am because you've been murdered and I'm a prime suspect."

I think that's Shark talk for 'I'm worried about you, but I don't want to admit it'. But I'll take what I can get...plus he has a motorbike and I'll have a good excuse for getting up close and personal with him.

I gave Shark a quick hug to show my gratitude before backing off. "Thanks Shark, I really don't like walking a long distance during night without any companions."

He walked over to his red motorbike and pulled out two helmets, one red and one black. Shark hesitated for a few minutes before handing me the white helmet. I swung my bag over my back and pulled on the helmet: it was a perfect fit. Shark mounted the bike first before gesturing for me to climb on behind him.

I was really nervous because I don't think I've _ever _been this close to a boy (Yuma obviously doesn't count) and this is a boy that I have a massive crush on. I just hope that I won't faint or blush like crazy! My hands were badly shaking as I leaned my hands on Shark's back in order to get into my desired position.

I didn't know where to put my hands, so I rested them on his shoulders before he moved them down to his waist. I closed my eyes as I felt a tremendous brush spread against my face.

"If you don't want to fall off, I suggest you don't let go. Now hold on, but not too tightly because I need to focus." Shark instructed me as I held on a teeny bit tighter before he shifted into gear and took off.

"Wargh," I exclaimed as I could feel the wind assaulting my body.

I was glad for the helmet because it kept my hair under control and my eyes weren't tearing up. Unfortunately for me, I was wearing a thin short sleeved shirt and it was really cold. Still, I enjoyed the warm vibrations that were emitting from the bike and being this close to Shark. I even considered resting my head on his back so that I could smell him...does that sound weird? Shark pinched the back of my hand every now and again to capture my attention so that he could ask me for directions.

However before I could even consider that plan, Shark stopped the bike and I realised that we had arrived at the front of my house. A part of me was disappointed that the ride had ended, but the other part of me was glad because I just wanted to have a hot shower and go to bed.

"We're here." Shark announced as he took off his helmet and dismounted.

"Brilliant observation Einstein," I muttered in a sarcastic tone as I got off the bike and nearly tripped because my legs had gone numb.

Somehow I ended up falling into Shark's arms and his arms went around my waist (probably an automatic reaction of some sort) to hold me up.

"Sorry Shark-kun," I started to apologize before I looked up at him and caught sight of his blue eyes.

My breath was caught in my throat and I could feel my palms perspire.

_Oh no, why does he have to look so amazing? _

As I got ready to open my mouth, Shark steadied me and took his hands off of my waist so he could take his helmet back.

"Goodnight Yumi, and don't forget Monday." He reminded me as I gave him a kiss on his cheek before running to the front porch of my house.

"Thanks for the lift Shark-kun! I owe you one! Don't forget to have a nice night!" I watched him pull his own helmet back on before he mounted his bike once again and took off down the street. I waited until his bike had disappeared from my vision. I remember looking up to the moon and I could see that it was a _full _moon, which symbolised the peak of clarity, the obtainment of desire and the height of power.

I knew one thing was for certain through; I definitely had some sort of attachment to Shark and it might just be the death of me. Kari always said that a prince won't always ride up on a white stallion, but what if he rode up to me on a red bike instead?

* * *

**Yumi: That was disgustingly sweet.**

**Shark: So that's one thing we can agree on then.**

**China: I hope you fluff lovers enjoyed that! I know I sure did, I think I've done okay in my portrayal of Shark being sweet yet ant-social.**

**Yumi: Stay tuned for chapter 18 where I'm about to have some love problems!**

**Astral: Basically the human known as DragonKnight15 suggested Yumi has a deadly enemy who uses the opposite of a Constellar deck which is an Iswarm/Evilswarm deck. **

**Astrid: Little does Yumi know, she's literally going to be dueling for her life!**

**Yuma: Basically this weird boy has a crush on Yumi (imagine how Alit fell for Kotori/Tori) and he'll do anything he can to make her his!**

**Yumi: But some guys won't take no for an answer. Without spoiling too much, there will be a duel involving me next chapter which will push me to my very limits! **

**China: That's right! Stay tuned for Chapter 18: Constellar Vs. Iswarm. Now review and tell me what you think. Ja ne! **


	18. Take A Hint!

**China: No time to talk! 9 people want me to change this to Japanese and 6 people want me to keep it.**

**Yumi: China wants you guys to submit a shipping name for Yumi and Shark as she has a few readers asking about it XD**

**Astrid: Song of chapter is 'Take a Hint' by Victoria Justice and Elizabeth Gillies which is self explanatory. Review and wish China happy birthday please :D She is now 17!**

* * *

Last week feels like a distant memory, Yuma was nearly back to his normal self but Astral was more silent than usual. Astrid had given up on trying to cheer him up, even these days she acted more moody than Kari did when a scoop turned out to be bogus.

I decided against telling Yuma, Astral and Astrid about my duel with Kite because I didn't want to worry them. Yuma had only just recovered and I didn't want to worry him even more because if he knew that Kite considered me his _true _rival...the results could be chaotic.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice this person in front of me until I had bumped into this person in front of me.

"Watch yourself darling." He smiled warmly at me as he steadied me.

"Sorry." I replied as I examined this strange boy in front of me.

I knew for a fact that he didn't go to this school because of the clothes he was wearing. He had messy blond hair which seemed to contain an obscene amount of hair gel, blue eyes and tanned skin. His clothes consisted of a un tucked long sleeve white shirt with an unbuttoned top button, black skinny jeans, white trainers with black trim and a black tie.

I suppose he wasn't bad looking (the amount of girls in my school that stopped to stare at him), but I didn't trust him.

"I should be the one apologizing; I was stunned by your beauty. The name's Cole and I'm sure that a lady as beautiful as you must have a beautiful name." He took hold of my hand and raised it up before kissing it.

_Ew, this feels disgusting! I wouldn't mind if Shark-kun did it though, and ironically my name is Japanese for beautiful._

I yanked my hand out of his grip before rubbing it on my skirt. "I'm Yumi and you must be psychic because my name is Japanese for beautiful."

_God I hope that doesn't sound flirtatious, I don't want to lead him on._

Cole raised one of his blonde eyebrows before smiling at me. "Well I must say that you do your name justice. So do you have any plans for Friday night? I was hoping that we could catch a private screening of that new Sparrow movie."

_He's asking me out on a date! What should I do?! I don't want to go out on a date with him, but I don't want to be mean._

He was looking at me with an expectant look on his face; I could tell that he expected me to say 'yes'. I bit my bottom lip and before I could answer, I saw Shark-kun walk past me and I knew that this would be my only opportunity.

"Oh I would but I'm busy tutoring Shark-kun on Friday. Hey Shark-kun," I ran over to a surprised Shark and hugged him. "Please play along." I whispered into his ear before turning to face Cole.

"Tutoring him?" He looked Shark up and down. "Isn't he older than you?"

Shark was about to say something, so I snuck my hand behind his back and started to pinch and twist a piece of his back. He let out a soft hiss before shooting me an evil look.

"I didn't want to say anything, but Shark-kun is a little..._behind _in school if ya know what I mean." I answered in a sympathetic tone.

Shark _definitely _wanted to talk at this point, but I shot him a pleading look.

"Well how about Saturday?"

"I volunteer at a Cat Shelter with Shark-kun on Saturday's." I wanted to kill myself for saying Cat Shelter, but it was the first thing that popped into my head. I might be spending too much time with Cathy.

"Sunday afternoon?"

"I'm not allowed out on Sunday's because its homework day for me." I lied again.

I crossed my fingers behind my back so my lie doesn't count, and you would do the same thing in my position!

Cole didn't look like he believed me because he had a sceptical look on his face. "Are you two dating?"

Shark and I shared a look before I said, "Yes." And he said, "No." at the same time.

We looked at each other again before I said, "No." And he said, "Yes." at the same time.

"We have a very...complicated relationship; all you have to know is that I'm too busy to go out with you. Sorry Cole, I'm sure that you're a very nice guy." I 'apologised' before grabbing Shark's hand and running away with him as fast as I could.

Once we were out of Cole's line of vision, I stopped running and let go of Shark's hand. Both of us were panting heavily, but he still managed to open his mouth to shout at me.

"Why...do you always...drag me into...your problems?" He panted as I took a deep breath.

"Sorry...Shark-kun but I...didn't want to turn him down...as that would have...hurt his feelings." I stood up as I exhaled.

Shark sighed, "You do realise that in the long term you will end up hurting him when he found out you lied."

_Shark has a point, but then again, it's not like I'll ever see him again._

"Yeah but its not like I'll ever see him again, it's not like he goes to our school." I shrugged as I straightened out my school skirt.

Shark rolled his eyes, "Well it's your funeral. And just so we're clear, I am _not _and I _never _will be your boyfriend."

I gasped and mimicked myself fainting, "Oh _no_! How will I _ever _go on? My life is _over_. Oh give me a break Shark-kun, its not like you're the last thought before I go to sleep and the first thought I think when I wake up."

_Yeah! I only think about you at school, during my lessons when I am bored which is usually every single second that I'm at school._

"Whatever, I'm leaving." And with that, Shark turned on his heels and left me in the dust.

I stomped my foot in anger which caused Astrid to materialise beside me.

"Yumi-chan, I personally think you did the right thing. Cole seems to be shrouded in darkness and his aura is not looking too bright. We need to stay away from him, like how Yuma had to stay away from Flip." Astrid informed me as I adjusted my bag strap.

I looked around the school grounds for Yuma before replying. "Believe me, I don't like him. Hey Yuma," I shouted at him before running towards him.

I didn't turn around, but I knew Astrid was annoyed. Well that and she shouted, "Yumi! I'm going to get you back for this!"

* * *

The next day after school, I got the biggest shock of my life when I got back home. The entire corridor was filled to the ceiling with all these flowers, teddy bears and chocolate! Yuma and I practically had to swim to the living room where Kari was, she was typing some sort of report into her D-Pad.

"Kari what's with all this crap?" Yuma inquired as we managed to sit on the sofa.

Kari looked extremely peeved as she took of her Duel Gazer. "I don't know, blame Yumi! She's the one who attracted the attention of one of the richest families in Heartland!" She roared as I screamed and fell off of the sofa.

_Who the hell is Kari talking about?! The only guy that I've encountered that's looked remotely rich is...!_

"Cole Johnson belongs to one of the richest families in Heartland?!" I thought aloud as Kari inched her face closer to mine.

"I knew it! How did you meet him?! What did you say to him?!" Kari demanded as Yuma sat up and peered at me.

My palms were sweating like crazy and I wanted to lie, but if I lied than that would mean that I had something to hide. "Well uh, he kinda approached me after school yesterday and asked me out on a date."

Kari and Yuma's eyes slowly widened as I told them my tale, Yuma looked disappointed – probably because I didn't tell him about my encounter with Cole yesterday.

"Did you say yes?!" Kari shouted as I covered my ears.

"Of course not, I told him that I was too busy with schoolwork...and helping out at a cat shelter." I weakly laughed as I pulled myself off of the floor.

"Personally I think you did the right thing, I mean you've never met him before!" Yuma pointed out as Kari wacked the back of his head with her open palm.

"That is the worst excuse I've ever heard and he obviously doesn't believe you if he's sending you all this shit." She said as I started to twirl a strand of my hair around my finger.

"Look, I'm sure if I just return all of his gifts and just ignore him, this will all go away." I stuttered as Yuma started to protest and rub the back of his head.

"It better Yumi!" She sighed.

* * *

I wish I could say that I was right, that what happened throughout the next three days didn't happen. But this diary is based on truth and what had actually happened to me throughout my life.

On Wednesday when I arrived at home, my bedroom was filled with several baskets with all these Love Heart sweets in the baskets that said 'Real Love', 'Kiss Me', 'Sugar Lips' etc.

On Thursday during one of my lessons, a singagram dressed as Dark Magician Girl appeared with a basket filled with Duel Monster cards.

She sang, "Yumi will you go out with me, I really want to be with you. I'll buy us sushi and we-"

Before she could continue her sentence, I grabbed her basket and pushed her out of the classroom before returning to my seat as if nothing had happened. The entire class wanted to see what was in the basket, but I managed to keep it out of their grasp. I admit that I shouldn't have taken his gift basket, but I'm a duelist so he should know better.

On Friday when I was walking home from school (with Tori, Bronk and Yuma of course!), we were all approached by a black limo with tinted windows. What I mean is it was speeding down the road and started to slow down when it reached us.

The back window on the right side rolled down, revealing a face that I dreaded to meet again.

"Hello Yumi-san, want a lift home?" Cole asked as I kept walking with my friends.

I shot him a look, "If you haven't noticed, I'm walking with my _friends_."

Cole looked at my friends with a...disgusted (?) look on his face. "Oh, where's that _boyfriend _of yours?"

I blushed as Bronk, Yuma and Tori stared at me. "You have a boyfriend?!"

"Shark-kun isn't my boyfriend! He's just a friend that happens to be a boy!" I screeched as Cole smirked at my displeasure.

"So I see no reason why you can't have a ride with me." Cole even opened up the limo door for emphasis, revealing black leather seats and other cool gadgets.

_Can't this guy take a hint? I'm not interested!_

"Hey Tori, I've been wondering something." I said with a smile on my face.

She looked surprised, "Yeah Yumi?"

"Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like?" I winked at her as her eyes lit up in recognition.

_Brilliant! She got it!_

"I know right! I mean, you can always see them coming from the left and from the right."

Cole looked confused and so did Bronk and Yuma.

"I don't wanna be a wimp. I just try and be polite, but it always seems to haunt me." I scoffed as Cole started to get the message.

"That is so rude! Didn't you like any of my gifts?" He asked as rolled my eyes.

"One, it was a nice gesture but I sent them all back. Two, you are such a stalker! How _dare _you find out where I live?! Leave me alone!" I shouted at him as he tried to open his mouth to say something.

"But-"

"What about 'no' don't get? So go home and tell your friends! I am definitely not interested!" Bronk and Yuma had to hold me back as Tori came to my rescue.

"It's about time that you're leaving, and once I count to three, you'll be _gone_." Tori finished as she started to count off her fingers to show three.

"You'll be sorry that you rejected me!" Cole snarled as his limo started to drive off. "I _swear _it!"

Once Bronk and Yuma released me, I gave Tori a high five as a sign of my gratitude.

"Thanks Tori, some guys just _can't_ take a hint." I giggled as she shifted her bag onto her other shoulder.

"That's certainly _one_ way to tell a guy you're not interested." Tori chuckled as Yuma still had a clueless look on his face.

"What do you guys think he meant when he said 'you'll be sorry'?" Yuma asked with a puzzled look on his face.

_He's just talking big...I hope that he is anyway. He's rich, and you can practically do anything with money._

* * *

Unfortunately that was the start of a nightmare which I wished I woke from. It was Saturday evening and I had just arrived home after visiting Regina in the hospital, but I had arrived to an empty house.

"Obaa-san! Yuma! Nee-chan! Is anybody here?!" I shouted as I placed my keys on the table in the corridor.

The silence greeted me which I found really strange.

_Huh, where is everyone? Obaa-san might be visiting Meredith-sama, Nee-chan might be busy with work and Yuma...well he has no excuse cuz he would have told me._

However just as I was in the middle of contemplating the location of my family, my Duel Gazer started to ring. I answered it and Cole's face flashed across the screen.

"Cole! What did I tell you yesterday?! Take a hint!" I hissed as he tutted.

"Yumi, Yumi, Yumi. That's not very nice; you should be more polite if you want to know where Yuma and your friends are." He said in an innocent tone as I tightened my fists by my side.

"What have you done? I swear if you've done _anything _to harm my onii-san, I will _destroy _you!" I threatened him as he laughed in a sinister tone.

"Meet me in the warehouse by Heartland Pier in thirty minutes if you want your friends to still be alive. And just in case you don't believe me..." He shifted his Duel Gazer's screen until I could see three silver cages hanging over the ocean. Wait a minute!

"You sick son of a bitch! You're going to drown Yuma, Tori and Bronk just because I rejected you?! You're crazy!" I declared as he moved his Duel Gazer onto a purple clothed figure that was sprawled out onto the floor.

Shark! He looks hurt! This has gotten out of hand!

"Nobody rejects Cole Johnson! Nobody and certainly not you, who do you, think you are?!" He hung up on that note as I nearly threw my Duel Gazer into the wall.

Astrid materialised beside me, "What are you going to do Yumi? If you go to the warehouse then you'll be doing what he wants."

"Yeah but if I don't go Astrid then Yuma and the others will _suffer _because of me. And besides, as long as I have you by my side, how can we lose?" I gave her a small smile which she didn't return.

"You're underestimating Cole greatly, I just know it. There's something about him, something I can't put my finger on..."

If only I believed what Astrid said, maybe I would have been more prepared.

* * *

Somehow Astrid and I managed to make it to the pier within the time limit, even though we nearly didn't make it. I was as angry as hell while Astrid tried her best to calm me down; I ignored her and kicked the door open to the warehouse.

"Cole! Get your bloody arse out here before I fuck you up!" I roared in an angry tone as Astrid tried to shush me.

"Yumi, what are you doing?!" She hissed as I held my hand up to silence her.

"Astrid, I'm only going to tell you this once, shut up! He's hurt Tori, Bronk and worst of all my onii-san! He must pay for what he did!" I tried to control my voice, but it was breaking.

Astrid looked concerned, "Yumi you can't duel him in this condition."

Before I could say some snappy comeback, Cole walked into the room with his hands in his pockets and a smug look on his face.

"Hello Yumi, you're looking healthy." I cut him off in mid sentence by slapping him with my open palm.

His head snapped back and his right cheek was bright red as he clutched it. He looked startled, like he didn't expect me to do that.

"Stop spouting your shit! I want my friends and brother back!" I tensed my body and got into my fighting stance, I saw what he did to Shark and I don't want that to happen to me.

"Straight down to business, I like that in a girl. Very well, come with me. I want them to witness your failure; I want to see the hope leave their eyes!" He cackled as he walked out of the room, leaving me no choice but to follow him.

Astrid's body tensed, she was probably thinking how Astral was trapped as well because Yuma still had the Emperor's Key on him. I tried to hold her hand, but I just clutched thin air. Nevertheless, she still smiled at me and 'held' my hand.

Once we were outside, I could taste the sea air and nearly choked on it. Yuma, Tori and Bronk were in individual black cages that were only held up by thick, silver chains and hanging over the ocean. Shark was under them and he was in a _really_ bad state. There was large dark bruise that was located on his cheek that was protruding against his pale skin and a split lip. Who knew what other marks were marring his body. Worst of all he was unconscious, Cole really tore into Shark.

I only snapped back to reality when my friends started to cry out my name.

"Yumi, you have to save us!" Tori started to rattle the bars of her cage while screaming.

"Yeah, that weirdo over there got his goons to kidnap us!" Bronk informed me as Yuma was trying to find a way to escape his cage; he was climbing on them like a monkey. It would have been funny if not for the fact that his life was in danger.

"Yumi, tell that jerk that I'm going to kill him once I'm out of this cage!" Yuma fell off of the bars and hit his back on the bottom of the cage moderately hard.

Astral appeared next to Yuma in the cage and Astrid flew up to him and interlocked her fingers with him.

"Onii-chan, we'll get you guys out of here. I won't let Cole get away with this." Astrid promised him as Astral shifted his head to the side.

"This human's actions astound me, why would he do all of this? What is he trying to prove? That he's a better duelist than Yumi?" Questioned Astral as Yuma face palmed.

"He's doing this because he says that he loves Yumi, but if he loved her then why would he do this?!" Yuma growled as he started to attack the bars.

"Human love is a strange thing. Observation twelve a, human does strange things for the sake of love." Astral noted as I gave Cole a death glare.

"How could you?! They have nothing to do with this!" I screeched as he took a few steps backwards and got into position.

"Enough talking, lets duel! Now let's renew the conditions of this duel, if I win then you have to be my girlfriend. But if you win, then I'll leave you alone." Cole got his Duel Disk out, so I got mine out.

I looked over to Shark before biting my bottom lip. _Sorry that you got involved in this Shark, you didn't deserve this._

"But just one question, what did Shark-kun ever do to you?!" I frowned as he shrugged.

"He got in the way of my plans, as long as he's in the picture, you'll never be mine!" He exclaimed as I clenched my hands into fists, I was absolutely _livid_.

Astrid flew down from the cage and she did not look best pleased. "What! I knew he had a dark aura, but this is just ridiculous!"

"Cole! I will never forgive you for this!" I threw my arm out to the side as Shark slowly stirred from his position on the floor.

"And neither...will...I!" Shark sat up and shook his head, probably to wake himself up.

"Shark," we all exclaimed as he spat something out of his mouth.

I tried my best not to show my disgust considering what he's been through.

"Why the fuck would you just attack me out of the blue you bastard?!" Shark snarled as he slowly managed to pull himself to his feet on shaky legs.

I ran over to Shark and put my arms around him in order to support him, but he pushed me away while insisting that he was fine.

_Even when he's in pain, he's still headstrong. Well that's Shark for you..._

"Get out of the way Yumi, I'll be the one dueling him." Shark declared before wincing and clutching his ribs.

"Shark-kun, I'm going to be the one who duels him." I insisted before we got into a full fledged argument.

"No, I will!"

"Are you crazy?! Have you looked at your body lately?!"

"I've been through worse injuries!"

"Oh puhlease, that is utter bull-"

"Will you two just shut up?!" Cole shouted at us both as we both turned to look at him.

"Hey Shark, how about we teach this fool a lesson?" I winked at him before giving him thumbs up.

I think he gave me a little smile in return, "I think that sounds fair. A two on one match, Yumi and I get 4000 Life Points separately so in exchange you get 8000 Life Points."

My heart did a mini back flip because of how willing Shark was to form a team with me.

Cole held his hands up, "I'm still going to win either way. So let's go!"

"Duel Disk set!" We all threw our Duel Disks in the air so that we could attach them to our wrists.

"Duel Gazer, let's go!" We all unfolded our Duel Gazers and attached them to our faces.

**"Augmented reality vision link established." **The field was briefly covered in numbers before returning to normal.

"Let's duel!" We all shouted as we drew our starting hands.

* * *

**China: I know this chapter is insane and totally unrealistic but still! It is entertaining to read :D Now don't forget to submit a shipping name and review :D Talk to you guys later. **


	19. Evilswarm Vs Shark Vs Constellar

**China: Sorry everybody, basically my laptop ran out of battery and the charger for it broke. I saved the only copy of it on here and I had to wait nearly a week for it to arrive.**

**Yumi: You could have rewritten it and published it on your iPod Touch.**

**China: *gives Yumi a funny look before laughing*: Oh Yumi! You slay me! Here is a reply to reviews:**

**Tsukuyomi-chan: Tee hee, yeah you're right. Alit was hopeless with Tori at first as well, but not as bad as Cole is with Yumi! Good choice for the shipping name.**

**Light-Sakura: Shark finds Yumi annoying...but in a good way. Yumi likes Shark, but it's not like she'll die without him. And true, the chemistry between them cannot be ignored! The way they argue all the time but at the same time, love having mini rants with each other.**

**K.I.T.T. RIDER: I KNOW! HOW CAN COLE LIVE WITH KIDNAPPING FOUR PEOPLE?! Yumi and Shark are both great duelists and after the teamwork they showed in Chapter 12, they aren't to be underestimated.**

**Dragonknight15: Believe it or not, I've based Yumi's and Shark's relationship on me and my boyfriends XD One of my friends gave us the shipping name 'divorcedoldmarriedcoupleshipping' or 'oldmarriedcoupleshipping' for short, because even though we argue like an old married couple it is clear we love each other. Cole does not know how to treat girls correctly, he thinks money solves everything. Shark may not want to admit it, but he's dueling to defend himself and Yumi as well because he doesn't trust Cole. So he is doing it out of his own unique brand of love. And why does everybody keep saying Cole makes Flip look like a saint?! He isn't that bad!**

**The entire cast of Zexal: YES HE IS YOU BLIND IDIOT!**

**China:..Shut up. **

**A Bell Rose: Cole is extremely cute, it's how he is able to charm so many people yet hide his true nature. Thanks for the name.**

**Dark Rose Princess: Yep, its time for both twins to kick some stalker butt and maybe show parts of their true feelings for one another ;)**

**Guest: Of course I would, Shark's manga deck is great and fanmade cards are even greater! :D**

**xXTheAngelDevilXx****: Thanks for calling Yumi cute, her reactions are just the best aren't they? Oh wow, thank you. I am really glad you loved this story so much you made an account to do all that stuff. My fans and readers are the reason I keep updating :D**

**Astrid: So far the shipping names for YumiXShark are: Deepshipping, Icecreamshipping and Twinshipping, I'm still accepting shipping names.**

**Yumi: Now disclaimer is on the first chapter of this story, plus if China did own Zexal then I am pretty sure Asaya and I would have appeared by now.**

**Asaya: Yep and I would take great pride in beating up Kaito all the time :D**

**China: Cole Johnson's biography is on my weebly so check it out :D Note: My boyfriend is called Cole so if he is reading this then he needs to realise two things. I'M SORRY BUT YOU KNOW I LOVE YOUR NAME SO MUCH! PLUS COLE MEANS 'DARK ONE' AND IT REFLECTS HIS DECK AND HIS...You'll find out by the end of this chapter. Also Cole is an awesome name and I remember when I dueled against your Evilswarm deck on DN, it just seemed appropriate!**

* * *

**Cole: 8000  
Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 4000**

"The rules of the duel mean that nobody can attack on their first turn." I told everybody as Cole drew his sixth card.

"I activate the field spell, Chaos Zone!" Cole held up his card as the entire field transformed.

The dark field then changed into an area resembling a dark area of space. There was no light coming in or out and the floor was a grid-like area that also served as our footing.

I was a bit scared because this place felt so unnatural, like all the happiness had been sucked away. Yuma, Tori and Bronk couldn't understand why I was so scared because they didn't have their Duel Gazers on. I was nervously shifting from my left to right foot while Shark examined Cole.

"I see you look uncomfortable, well this should help! I activate Allure of Darkness, I get to draw two cards but I have to banish one dark monster from my hand or my entire hand gets sent to the grave. I banish Steelswarm Moth (6/2400/0) and now my field spell activates. When a monster is banished, it gets one Chaos Counter!" He explained as one light blue portal appeared in the space setting.

**Chaos Zone: 1 Chaos Counter**

"Now I summon Evilswarm Castor (4/1750/550) in attack mode." A dark fog formed on the field, leaving a grey armoured man with a fencing mask on his face. He had a spike on his left knee, spiked right hand and the Iswarm crest was on his left hip. A ragged red and white cloak started to bellow in the wind when I realised something.

I had Constellar Pollux in my hand and I started to compare the monster to Pollux.

_Castor and Pollux...this reminds me of Greek mythology. Castor and Pollux were both twin brothers and when Castor died, Pollux asked Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together, and they were transformed into the constellation __Gemini__. That's why the Gemini constellation is usually referred to as 'the twins'. _

_Not to mention how can I forget the tale of the Iswarm and Constellar? Evilswarm Castor is the corrupted twin brother of Constellar Pollux, Castor is left handed while Pollux is right handed. Not to mention they basically have the same effects, but Cole is forgetting one thing. In the Gemini constellation, Castor is the second brightest star after Pollux._

"I can now normal summon another 'Iswarm' monster from my hand due to his effect. I choose Evilswarm Zahak (4/1850/850) in attack mode." Another grey mist spread across the field before a purple and grey corrupted dragon materialised next to Castor.

Shark and I gasped before staring at each other; he had two level 4 monsters!

"I overlay my level 4 Evilswarm Castor and Zahak to build the Overlay Network!" His two monsters transformed into two beams of dark purple energy before entwining and flying through the red portal in the middle of the field. "Shroud the field, Evilswarm Nightmare (4/950/1950) in defense mode."

A black armoured knight appeared from the ground and he growled loudly before crossing his arms across his chest. His eyes were glowing neon green with a spiked helmet crowing him, he wielded a sword with a golden hilt and his most distinctive feature was his red cape. Two dark purple balls of energy started to orbit it.

"I set two cards face-down to end my turn." Cole slammed two cards face-down which caused the backing of the two cards to appear behind his two monsters.

_Its Shark's turn now, I'm not worried but Cole's deck might reflect his personality. The Iswarm archetype are monsters from other archetypes that have been corrupted, that's why Constellar monsters are their sworn enemies. _

_They were one of the only tribes left that were strong enough to battle them, so in a way, its like Cole and I's decks are battling as well. I wonder if the Duel Monster Spirit World is in an outrage. Its Shark's turns now and I know he's more than capable to take on Cole, but Cole is a tad insane which makes him unpredictable._

"I draw! I summon Skull Kraken (3/600/1600) in attack mode." Shark stood tall as a grey kraken with long tentacles appeared on his field.

"When a Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster is summoned to my side of the field, I can special summon Shark Stickers (3/200/1000) from my hand." A small light blue eel swam around the field with a small white pad on top of its head.

_Is he going to do it?_

Shark held his hand up, "I overlay my level 3 Shark Stickers and Skull Kraken to build the Overlay Network to summon Submersible Carrier Aero Shark (3/1900/1000) in attack mode!"

His two monsters transformed into two beams of light and dark blue energy before flying into a red portal. Two orange mechanical sharks that were joined together emerged from the ground and flew around with two blue balls of light orbiting it.

"Hold up! I activate the trap card Different Dimension Ground so this turn, any monster sent to the graveyard is removed from play instead. Plus I detach one Overlay Unit from Evilswarm Nightmare to change a monster you special summoned into face-down defense mode." Cole smirked as Evilswarm Zahak transformed into a light blue portal to signify another Chaos Counter being added to Chaos Zone.

**Chaos Zone: 2 Chaos Counter**

Evilswarm Nightmare absorbed one of its dark purple Overlay Units before lifting up his spiked sword. Shark grit his teeth and I knew he had no way to counter, plus I had no cards on my field to help him since I hadn't had my turn yet.

Luckily Astrid seemed to be more focused on this duel then me because she started to scream in my ear. "Look at your hand and use Effect Veiler's special ability!"

I examined the five cards in my hand and smiled at Astrid, "Thanks for telling me, I'm a bit distracted this duel. Hey Cole, watch this brilliant move! During my opponent's main phase I can discard Effect Veiler from my hand to the graveyard in order to select one face-up effect monster you control and negate that monster's ability until the end of this turn." I explained as I plucked Effect Veiler from my hand and sent it to the Graveyard.

However Different Dimension Ground banished it instead, but Effect Veiler still used its ability. A young girl who couldn't have been older than me appeared in front of Evilswarm Nightmare. She had creamy skin, long teal coloured hair that was tied up into pigtails and olive coloured eyes. Her clothes consisted of a short white robe with red accents, a black belt around her waist, a black choker and a huge pair of white, translucent wings that enveloped her. To finish, she wore black stockings with light pink pumps.

She stood tall in front of Nightmare and flew towards him before using her wings to sandwich him and his Overlay Units dimmed.

**Chaos Zone: 3 Chaos Counter**

Shark gave me a nod of approval, "Thanks for that. "Next I activate Xyz Gift. Since there are two or more Xyz monsters on the field, I can draw two cards. Now by detaching Shark Stickers, my opponent takes 400 points damage for every card in my hand. I have six cards so Cole takes 2400 points of damage."

Shark Stickers transformed into another light blue portal which made a total of four.

**Chaos Zone: 4 Chaos Counter**

Aero Shark flew towards Cole and shot six torpedoes at him before breaking into four smaller missiles. Cole flew backwards in the air before hitting the ground with a loud 'thud'.

**Cole: 5600  
Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 4000**

"I set two cards face-down to end my turn." Shark finished as I drew my fifth card as it was my turn.

"Its time for some star power, I draw! First up, I summon Kurivolt (1/300/200) in attack mode." I smiled as Astrid and Astral nodded their heads in approval.

A small ball of electricity gathered and started to light up the entire field. When the energy faded, a small ball of black and red started to jump up and down on the field.

"Kuri kuri," it squealed as Cole laughed at it and Shark's eye started to twitch.

"Ha! That little pipsqueak only has 300 attack points and you put it in attack mode!" Cole clutched his stomach as he guffawed.

"Yumi, what _is _that?!" Shark hissed as I shook him off.

_Why do people always underestimate level one or rank one monsters?! Flip did exactly the same thing with Baby Tiragon (at least that's what Yuma said) and he lost. _

"I wouldn't laugh just yet Cole. I activate Kurivolt's special ability! By targeting one Xyz monster on the field I can detach all of its Overlay Units and summon a Kurivolt Token (1/300/200) for every detached Overlay Unit. I choose Evilswarm Nightmare!" I pointed at Nightmare as Cole gasped and Shark's eyes glittered.

"Nice work Yumi-chan! By using Kurivolt's ability, Nightmare won't be able to use its effect anymore." Astrid whooped as Kurivolt jumped up into the air and emitted electricity. It stole one of Nightmare's orbiting Overlay Unit and turned it into another Kurivolt.

I held my hand up, "I overlay my level 1 Kurivolt and Kurivolt Token to build the Overlay Network!" My two monsters transformed into two beams of light yellow energy before entwining and flying into the red portal that had appeared in the middle of the field. "Rise up, the lazy spellcaster, Slacker Magician (1/200/2100) in defense mode!"

A ball of blankets appeared on the field until a pair of skinny pale arms thrust out of them and pulled the blankets off, revealing a young girl. She yawned and stretched her limbs before sitting down and crossing her legs. She had long wavy lilac hair that nearly reached her feet, black and red square lab goggles that she rested on top of her hair and sleepy light blue eyes. Her clothes consisted of a red tank top, pinstripe purple shorts that reached her thighs and she was barefoot. She had two yellow balls of energy that were orbiting her.

"I activate Dimension Slice! When a monster is special summoned, I can target one face-up monster my opponent controls and banish that target." Cole smirked as his last face-down card revealed its true colours.

A blue cyclone appeared around Slacker Magician and the wind started to whip through her hair.

"I activat-" Shark started before I silenced him.

"Not so fast! I detach one Overlay Unit from Slacker Magician, during either player's turn, when a card or effect is activated that targets this face-up card: I can detach one Overlay Unit from this card; negate the activation, and if I do, I can destroy that card." I smirked as a glass pot filled with green liquid and boiling over a fire appeared in front of Slacker Magician.

One of the two Overlay Units flew into her hand turned into a test tube filled with an orange liquid. Slacker Magician looked bored as she dumped the entire contents into her pot and the liquid turned into a cloud of green smoke. The green smoke was absorbed by the blue cyclone which caused the wind to stop.

"Shimatta, I can't believe you did that." Cole cursed as I prepared for my next move.

"Well then you won't believe this! I activate the continuous spell, Spell Absorption which means I gain 500 Life Points every time a spell card is activated. Now I activate Xyz Treasure which lets me draw one card for every Xyz monster on the field. There are currently three Xyz monsters on the field, so I draw three cards." I explained as one beam of light flew from each Xyz monster and into my deck which allowed me to draw three cards.

**Cole: 5600  
Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 4500**

"I activate Double Summon to normal summon again this turn, welcome Constellar Pollux (4/1700/600)."

The Gemini constellation formed in the air before shining brightly, a man wearing silver armour appeared on the field. He yelled as he slashed a two prong sword in mid-air and posed.

**Cole: 5600  
Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 5000**

"But that's not all Johnson, cuz when Pollux is normal summoned I can normal summon another Constellar monster in addition. I chose Constellar Algiedi (4/1600/1400)!"

The Capricorn constellation formed in the air before shining brightly. A woman wearing silver armour with pink accents appeared and she was holding a wand.

"Constellar Algiedi's effect now activates, as she was normal summoned I can special summon one level 4 monster from my hand. I special summon Constellar Kaus (4/1800/700) in attack mode."

The Sagittarius constellation formed in the air before forming into a man wearing bright silver and blue armour appeared. He was holding a gold bow and arrow.

"I can't believe it! In one turn you've summoned one Xyz monster and three more monsters." Cole frowned as Astrid smiled.

"Use Kaus' special ability to turn two Constellar monsters into level 5 monsters, then overlay them to summon Constellar Pleiades." Astrid commented as I contemplated her words.

"You've improved Astrid; I use Constellar Kaus' special ability to turn Algiedi and Pollux into level five monsters. Now I overlay my level 5 Kaus and Pollux to build the Overlay Network. Reach for the stars, Constellar Pleiades (5/2500/1500) in attack mode!" I held my hand up as my two monsters turned into two beams of light before flying up into the air and flying into a red portal.

A man wearing silver and gold armour rose up from the portal in the floor. His cape was blowing in the wind and you could an entire constellation resting in it. To finish, he was holding a golden axe in his left hand that he was shifting from hand to hand. Two yellow orbs were orbiting him.

"I now detach one Overlay Unit from Pleiades to return Nightmare to your Extra Deck!" I winked at him as Pleiades absorbed one of his yellow orbs (Constellar Pollux) before throwing his axe at Evilswarm Nightmare, which caused it to scream before it returned in a stream of black energy to Cole's extra deck.

"Now I attack you directly with Pleiades and Kaus!" I snarled as both monsters advanced towards Cole and used their weapons to hit him.

The force of both attacks knocked him off of his feet and he landed on his stomach.

**Cole: 1300  
Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 5000**

"Now I set two cards face-down to end my turn." I concluded as Cole slowly rose up to his feet with an outraged look on his face.

"Who do you two think you are?! How dare you strike me?" Cole raged as Shark rolled his eyes at him.

"How dare we?! How dare _you _kidnap everybody and beat me up when my back was turned! That wasn't a fair fight and now that we are in a fair fight, you think it's an unfair fight because you're losing!" Shark managed to keep his cool the entire time as he unleashed his vengeance onto Cole.

"Shut up! Nobody asked you! I activate Card of Sanctity so that we all draw until we hold six cards." Light emerged from the top of the arena that allowed us to refill our hands.

**Cole: 1300  
Shark: 4000  
Yumi: 5500**

"Prepare yourself! By returning a banished DARK monster to my Graveyard, I can special summon **Evilswarm Dreary (6/1500/0)** to the field in defense mode. I choose Evilswarm Zahak." A monster emerged as a metallic humanoid frame, with a dogu-like head and a transparent orb-shaped torso.

"But that's not all! When **Evilswarm Dreary **is summoned, I can activate a trap card from my hand. I choose the continuous trap, Bad Reaction to Simochi and you'll be in for a shock. Time for the beginning of your end, I activate the spell Rain of Mercy so every player gains 1000 Life Points. Except due to Bad Reaction to Simochi, all my opponents _lose _1000. Poor Yumi, due to Spell Absorption she'll lose 1500 instead!" Cole explained as I gasped.

_Oh no this is bad! And what's worse is that it's a continuous trap!_

Rain started to pour down from the sky which replenished Cole's Life Points, but light green gas surrounded Shark and I before we got the biggest shock of our lives which caused us to fall to the ground.

**Cole: 2300  
Shark: 3000  
Yumi: 4000**

"My turn is only just beginning! I activate Soul Release to banish Evilswarm Zahak and Constellar Pollux from both our Graveyards, so my field spell gains two more Chaos Counters." A yellow and dark purple ball of energy flew out from Cole and me's Graveyard and turned into two blue portals.

**Chaos Zone: 6 Chaos Counter**

Green gas surrounded me and shocked me once more; I had to grit my teeth to prevent me from screaming out in pain.

**Cole: 2300  
Shark: 3000  
Yumi: 3500**

"Now its time for me to summon my ace, and Chaos Zone will help me! I remove six Chaos Counters to special summon my banished Steelswarm Moth (6/2400/0) in attack mode!" All six light blue portals started to slowly move before forming a moving circle that slowly started to spin faster and faster before forming a ball of black light in the centre.

**Chaos Zone: 0 Chaos Counter**

The black ball began to unfurl, leaving a black and dark green clothed moth like figure.

_Two level six monsters! But there aren't any level six Evilswarm monsters..._

"I overlay my level 6 **Dreary **and Moth to build the Overlay Network!" His two monsters transformed into two beams of purple light which flew into a galaxy hole that had appeared in middle of the field. "Come forth **Number 13!** The king who's darkness spreads through the lightest of galaxies! **Nebula, King of the Black Hole (6/2400/1000)**!" Cole yelled as a black hole appeared in the middle of the field and started to consume everything that flew into its path.

Suddenly it started to unfurl and revealed a new monster. It held the appearance of a young man in his early twenties who carried a look of death on his face. He had tanned skin, black eyes that resembled a black hole and his clothes did _not _look like they belonged to a king. It consisted of black leather trousers, a silver-black metal jacket that was open, revealing a six pack and he had a silver-black headpiece on his mop of raggy black hair. To show that he was a Number monster, the number '13' was written in purple on his left cheek.

"A Numbers card, that explains so much!" Tori, Bronk, Yuma, Astrid, Astral, Shark and I declared as Cole smirked.

The number '13' had appeared on his left cheek as well. This was really _not_ good! I don't think I want to see what it can do!

"I am the most supreme duelist in Heartland City! I've never lost a duel and I am not going to lose this one, especially because to destroy Number 13, you need to have a Number card as well. I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards." A green pot with a horrible smiley expression on his base appeared in front of Cole, two blue arms flew out of it and they each held a card.

The green gas surrounded me again, and this time I started to cough while a familiar pain in my head started to emerge.

**Cole: 2300  
Shark: 3000  
Yumi: 3000**

"Stay strong Yumi-chan! Its not like he'll be able to destroy Slacker Magician and Shark has two face-down cards. Last turn he was willing to defend Slacker Magician, so I'm sure that this turn he'll be willing to defend you. Especially because of how high the stakes are!" Astrid comforted me as I massaged my temple.

"Before I activate Nebula's effect, I activate Space Cyclone to steal Slacker Magician's remaining Overlay Unit." Slacker Magician was surrounded by a blue cyclone that managed to steal her last yellow ball of light.

This time, I couldn't help but scream in pain as the green gas enveloped my body and caused me to cough up some blood. I didn't fall to the floor, but I sure felt like it.

**Cole: 2300  
Shark: 3000  
Yumi: 2500**

"Yumi, we can still take this loser down." Shark stated as Cole chuckled maliciously.

"Don't bet on it! Since I haven't normal summoned this turn, I summon Evilswarm O'Lantern (4/1650/1250) in attack mode." A grotesque purple skinned bug like monster appeared onto the field in a mist like form before solidifying.

"Now you'll all see what **Number 13** can really do. I detach one Overlay Unit and in return, all monsters except this card are banished_ and _my opponents take 300 points of damage for every monster banished by this effect." He explained as my eyes widened.

_That would be a dangerous effect...if I didn't have this trick up my sleeve._

"Did you forget about Pleiades special ability? I'll just detach an Overlay Unit from him to return Nebula to your extra deck." I mused as Cole revealed one of the cards in his hand.

My mouth immediately dried up as I tried to form a sentence, but I couldn't.

"Oh no, you need to brace yourself!" Astrid ordered as Cole sent his Effect Veiler to the Graveyard.

"I can't believe he has that card." Shark snarled.

A young girl who couldn't have been older than me appeared in front of Constellar Pleiades. She had creamy skin, long teal coloured hair that was tied up into pigtails and olive coloured eyes.

Her clothes consisted of a short white robe with red accents, a black belt around her waist, a black choker and a huge pair of white, translucent wings that enveloped her. To finish, she wore black stockings with light pink pumps. She stood tall in front of Pleiades and flew towards him before using her wings to sandwich him and his Overlay Units dimmed.

I felt like crying as **Nebula** absorbed one of his purple Overlay Units into the palm of his gloved hand, and lifted his hands to the skies. A black hole appeared in the centre of the field and Aero Shark, Slacker Magician, Constellar Pleiades and Evilswarm O'Lantern were sucked into it. Lightening crackled from it and shocked Shark and me. This time I couldn't hold back my screams and I flew off of my feet and hit the ground face first.

**Chaos Zone: 6 Chaos Counter**

**Cole: 2300  
Shark: 1200  
Yumi: 700**

"I activate Underworld Egg Clutch! When a face-up Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster I control is banished, I can add one Level 4 or lower Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster from my Deck to my hand. I choose a second Shark Stickers!" A card from Shark's deck slotted itself out as Shark plucked it and added it to his hand.

My entire body felt like it had been run over by a monster truck and I could feel a pool of blood, swirling around in my mouth.

"This has been a real fun duel Yumi, but all good things must come to an end. I attack you directly with Nebula!" Cole ordered.

"Yumi, get up!" Shark roared as I made no attempt to move.

"If this attack connects, Yumi's done for!" Astrid screamed as I failed to lift my head up.

"Yumi!"

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**China: SURPRISE! COLE IS POSSESSED BY A NUMBERS CARD SO THAT IS WHY HE IS SUCH A DICK! **

**Yumi: Since Cole is Yumi's ultimate rival, his deck is opposite to her, his personality is opposite to her and his Number card is like Andromeda in the sense of they are both star related. And Cole's name means 'dark one' (we've been through this already) so it also relates to his Number card. The trivia will later be posted on China's weebly and Number 13 is already on China's weebly on Cole's page.**

**Astrid: Yumi seems to be out for the count and unless she does something, she'll lose the duel and her life!**

**Shark: Luckily for her, I have two face-down cards and she has a face-down card as well. But will they be useful in this situation? Especially because Yumi and I both have different decks that don't go together in any shape or form.**

**China: Could this be the end for Yumi? Or will she be able to put more faith in her and Astrid's bond? Either way you don't want to miss 'Chapter 20: Andromeda's New Form...?'**

**Yumi: Leave a review my friends or PM me.**


	20. Andromeda's New Form!

**China: I would like to thank the 13 people who reviewed. You guys are awesome! And its official, this story is definitely making a name for itself because-**

**Yumi: Celtic-Yugioh-Fangirl reviewed! Basically one of China's reviewers was telling her all about one of her stories (YGO Zexal Fairy-Hime) which made China curious. **

**China: I can speak for myself! Even though I'm on chapter 20 of that story, I still found it amazing! Let it be known for anybody who wants to write my biography. "I knew Yuma's Twin Sister was popular when Celtic-Yugioh-Fangirl started to follow this story." It's because she is such an amazing author who writes what she wants to, that's why I like her so much!**

**Yumi: Now another author you guys need to visit is KITT RIDER! Basically she wrote me a drabble called 'Seeing the Stars' or as China likes to call it, 'the alternate ending to this chapter aka chapter 20'. SO YOU NEED TO READ IT!**

**China: Plus I wrote two drabbles/oneshots. For all you Asaya Tenjo fans, they are both about her! But that isn't all! They are all Misael X Asaya! For some strange reason I ship Misael X Asaya because even though Asaya isn't a canon character, I THINK THEY WOULD GET ALONG SO WELL! **

**Yumi: Now a quick reply to reviews:**

**Sonicgirl77: Constellations do have genders since they are all based on Greek Mythology. **

**China: Now without further adieu, read and review.**

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**Cole: 2300  
Shark: 1200  
Yumi: 700**

"I activate Zeus' Breath to negate your attack!" Shark exclaimed as I lifted my head up slightly to see Shark's trap card play out.

Number 13 stopped in its tracks as Cole slammed three cards onto his Duel Disk.

"You may have delayed the inevitable for your girlfriend, but neither of you will survive my next turn. I set three cards face-down to end my turn." Cole finished as the backing of the three cards appeared on the field.

Shark growled, but he didn't bother correcting Cole this time. "Yumi may be down, but it's my turn! I activate the spell card, Fish and Kicks. If I have three or more banished Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monsters, I can target one card on the field and banish it. I choose Nebula."

I smiled to myself, _it figures Shark would be able to use Cole's strategy to his own advantage_. I thought, before I realised that Shark had used a spell card and I was covered in a green gas. I felt really bad; every inch of my body was hurting. Even my eyeballs!

**Cole: 2300  
Shark: 1800  
Yumi: 200**

For one mad moment, I thought that would be of Number 13 and that we would be able to win this duel. Sadly nothing in life is ever as straightforward as one would wish because Cole activated his face-down card.

"Do you really think I would let you do that?! I activate Dark Bribe, this negates your spell card and you get to draw one card." Cole explained as I lifted my head up to see Shark frown as he drew another card.

"You know, you _really _shouldn't let your opponent draw another card because one card can make _all _the difference! I normal summon Needle Sunfish (3/1500/100) in attack mode." A monster resembling a grey blowfish appeared on the field, it was pretty grotesque.

"When a Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua-Type monster is summoned to my side of the field, I can special summon Shark Stickers (3/200/1000) from my hand." A small light blue eel swam around the field with a small white pad on top of its head.

_Two level three monsters! Shark's going to summon Black Ray Lancer and detach Needle Sunfish to negate Number 13 and lower its attack._

"I overlay level 3 Needle Sunfish and Shark Stickers! I create an Overlay Network with these 2 monsters! Xyz summon! Come forth, Black Ray Lancer (3/2100/600)!" Needle Sunfish and Shark Stickers turned into two beams of blue light before diving into the swirling red portal that was in the middle of the field.

The familiar black and purple monster with wings appeared on Shark's field. It twirled around its spear before standing tall.

"I activate Black Ray Lancer's effect! By removing one Overlay Unit, I negate Nebula's monster effect until the end phase!" One of Black Ray Lancer's purple Overlay Units got absorbed into his chest before shooting rings of red light at Volcasaurus.

"But Nebula's attack is still higher!" Cole noted.

"You should really stop underestimating Shark." I stuck my tongue out at him before my nose started to bleed. I wanted to keep watching the duel, but I had to stick my head forward so that my blood wouldn't fill my airways and cause me to choke.

Shark smirked, "I activate Needle Sunfish's effect! When this card is sent to the graveyard, it can lower one of my opponents' monsters attack by 500!"

A dark purple portal appeared in the centre of the field and a cascade of spikes hit Nebula and weakened it (6/1900/1000).

"No!" Cole moaned as Shark smirked.

"Your Number card is going down! Since its effect is negated, Black Ray Lancer can destroy it! Go Shimmering Spear Slash!" Black Ray Lancer advanced towards Nebula and twirled his spear.

Cole's pout turned into a huge grin, I instantly knew that he _wanted _Shark to attack.

"Shark-kun, call-" I started choking a bit as some of the blood from my nose, fell into my mouth.

"I activate Draining Shield! When a monster my opponent controls declares an attack, I can negate the attack and my Life Points increase by that monster's attack!" Cole explained as a light blue shield appeared in front of him, which absorbed Black Ray Lancer's attack.

**Cole: 4400  
Shark: 1200  
Yumi: 200**

"That little snake! I set down one card to end my turn." Shark looked over to me and glared at me. "You disgust me."

Astrid and I's jaws dropped open, "Excuse me?"

"Look at you, whimpering in fear like a frightened puppy. It's disgusting, the Yumi I've become acquainted with, wouldn't act like this. She would stare into the eyes of defeat before punching it in the face and grabbing a victory. Not lying on the floor crying like a baby, now you have two choices. Choice number one, you can pass your turn and let Cole activate Nebula's effect again before we both lose 600 Life Points. Then he would probably direct attack one of us and kick one of us out of the duel. Or choice number two, you get off of the floor and duel!" Shark shrugged as Astrid hissed at him.

"How can Shark-san be so mean?" Astrid growled as my eyes started to tear.

"What? You expect me to be nice and all 'oh don't worry Yumi, everything will be okay'? If you knew me by now, you would know that I don't bullshit. Now what's your move?" He asked as I balled my hands into fists while using it to push myself up.

_Shark is right...harsh, but right. I need to katto-katto-kattobingu! _

Cole looked surprised, "She's actually getting up!"

"Yumi-chan, you haven't given up!" Astrid cheered as she tried to hug me (her arms passed through me).

"Of course I'm getting up." I almost fell back down, it seemed my strength had sapped. "I draw! I activate my face-down, Dust Tornado! This lets me destroy one spell or trap card my opponent controls! I choose Bad Reaction to Simochi!"

Shark nearly fell down, "Why didn't you activate that card during Cole or me's turn?!"

I coughed a bit before using the back of my hand to wipe some of the blood that was trailing into my mouth. "If you haven't noticed, I've been a bit distracted!"

A huge tornado broke out onto the field and proceeded to destroy Bad Reaction to Simochi into tiny digital pieces.

"You're still going down next turn!" Cole chuckled as he activated his face-down card.

It was Explosive Urchin and during Cole' standby phase, Shark and I will both lose 1000 Life Points which would knock me out of the duel!

"Damn it Yumi! His Life Points are over 4000 and even if we summon Andromeda and use her effect, we're still toast!" Astrid wailed as she waved her arms in the air.

_I hate to admit it, but Astrid is right. I have no cards in my hand to destroy Explosive Urchin and Andromeda's effect only works until the start of Cole's turn! But, even if I do end up dying in this duel, I'll still try and help Shark to come out of this duel in one piece._

"Here we go! Since my opponent controls a monster and I don't, I can special summon Cyber Dragon (5/2100/1600) from my hand!" I exclaimed as a silver snake-like monster erupted from the ground in front of me.

"Next I normal summon Little Fairy (3/800/800) in attack mode and up to twice per turn, I can send one card from my hand to the Graveyard to increase this card's level by one. I send two cards to my Graveyard to make her level five." I explained as I discarded Constellar Star Cradle and Scapegoat.

A tiny pale skinned girl appeared on the field. She had a mop of magenta pink hair, light blue eyes and a green dress with a pink bodice that matched her hair. To finish, she had large green wings and a stereotypical fairy wand with a golden star at the top of it. She waved her wand around to change her level.

"I overlay my level five Cyber Dragon and Little Fairy to build the Overlay Network!" My two monsters transformed into two beams of yellow light which flew into the galaxy hole that was in the middle of the field. "Come forth Number 00! The queen who's light burns through the darkest of galaxies! Andromeda, Queen of the Constellations (5/2900/1500)!"

In the middle of my field, planets, stars and entire galaxies emerged on what appeared to be a silver robe of some sort. Suddenly it started to unfurl until it had formed a pale skinned woman with a regal appearance. She had long black hair that was decorated with silver stars, a floor-length black kimono that was decorated with planets, stars and galaxies.

To finish, she had a silver constellation belt around her waist, a thin silver band around her head decorated with indigo and violet gems of all shades and silver, star-like eyes. The number '00' appeared on the center of her kimono as two beams of yellow light flew around her.

"You know what annoys me about you the most? The fact that you never once stopped to think why I've been bleeding the entire duel, well I'll tell you. I am a Number Hunter." I declared as my vision started to fuzz up, I nearly lost my footing and I felt really faint.

_How much blood can a human lose before becoming like this? All I know is that it isn't much. _

"Yumi-channnnnn, hang on! We can't give up hope; I won't let you give up hope! You're my best friend on this planet and I can't lose you! Astral will die as well and I don't know what would happen to me. Please Yumi! I know we can win somehow on this turn, I refuse to acknowledge defeat." Astrid wailed as tears started to trail down her cheeks.

I was stunned as my vision started to come into focus again.

_I knew Astrid cared about me, but I didn't think it was that much. I know the odds are very slim right now; however this wouldn't be the first time I won a duel in an unusual way. What about the time I dueled Kite? I didn't have to rely on Andromeda in that duel, so why am I relying on her now? Numbers aren't all powerful and they all have weaknesses. _

Tears started to well up in my eyes, "Astrid. I can't believe you have that much faith in me. I thought you hated me."

Her mouth dropped open, "Hate you? How could I ever hate you Yum-chan? You're my precious comrade, my soul sister, my _best _friend."

I wiped a tear from my eye and fought back a cough. I couldn't believe Astrid had so much faith in me, and I didn't have any in myself. I felt ashamed of myself because I forgot all about my partner.

"Astrid..." I trailed off as my bracelet started to glow again.

"The Emperor's Key, what's wrong with it?" Yuma exclaimed as it started to float about while glowing.

Suddenly a ray of light shot from both objects which hit Astrid, she screamed in terror as a pink ball of light started to emerge from her chest.

"What's happening to me?" She demanded as Shark rubbed his eyes a couple of time, while Cole kept blinking.

Tori and Bronk looked surprised as well. Wait...could they see...Astrid?

"Who is that pink chick?" Cole stammered as my left eye started to twitch.

_Its official, Little Miss Invisible is no longer invisible. _

Astrid closed her eyes as the ball of light disappeared and she looked over to Astral. "Onii-san..."

"Imouto, you can do this." Astral reassured her as Astrid looked over to me.

"Yumi-chan, fate hasn't abandoned us yet! Everything for a new path to victory has been set!" She pointed her hand at me which caused my Extra Deck to glow like crazy.

"What's going on?" I asked as I pulled out a blank card from my Extra Deck which was the source of the glow.

"The envoy of peace who will change confusion into light, Chaos Number 00: Andromeda, Envoy of Galaxies!" A new card appeared in my hand and I swear I would have fainted at that moment if Astrid didn't steady me.

"Astrid...you're touching me!" I shouted out in surprise as she winked at me.

"I'm so amazing that I defy logic. Now lets kattobingu!" She cheered as Andromeda started to fold herself up back into her sealed form (a galaxy that was wrapped in a sliver robe) before flying back into a galaxy filled portal."This new evolution will turn Andromeda and her Overlay Units into one!"

"So we'll rebuild the Overlay Network! Chaos Xyz Change," we both chorused.

Astrid and I had never been in more sync than at this very moment.

"Come forth **Chaos Number 00: Andromeda, Envoy of Galaxies** (5/2900/1500) in attack mode!" A black robe with a different galaxy and three balls of orbiting light, appeared from the hole in the ground. It started to unravel and it transformed into a new monster.

How could I explain what Andromeda looked like? It was like, it was her, yet at the same time, it wasn't her. Her impossibly long hair had grown even longer, except it was no longer black but instead a shocking shade of white. Perched on top of her head was a red and gold crown with a white ribbon underneath it, her kimono was now a pure black dress which revealed her bare shoulders, on her right shoulder was a red '00' which was now distorted. A pair of black wings was sticking out of her back, her eyes were the deepest shade of red and she now wielded a pink staff.

"What the hell is a Chaos Number?! No matter, you may be able to destroy Nebula, but you'll still lose next turn." Cole smirked as Astrid and I stuck our tongues out at him.

"Are you sure about that?" Astrid snickered.

"By using one Overlay Unit, I can special summon one level five or lower monster that is removed from play and Andromeda gains attack equal to the monster summoned by this effect! I remove all three Overlay Units so that I can revive Constellar Pollux (4/1700/600), Constellar Kaus (4/1800/700) and Constellar Algiedi (4/1600/1400)!" All three monsters flew out of the black portal on the floor and joined Andromeda on the field.

**1700 + 1800 + 1600 = 5100**

**Andromeda: 2900 + 5100 = 8000**

**"**8000 attack points?!" Cole screeched as Shark gave me a thumbs up.

"That's Yumi Tsukumo for, the girl who would stare into the eyes of defeat before punching it in the face and grabbing a victory." Shark noted as I winked at him.

"This is my kattobingu! Now Andromeda, attack with Celestial Chaos Blast!" I ordered as she twirled her baton and pointed it at Nebula. A stream of black stardust emerged from her wand and digitised Nebula.

Cole literally flew back from the force of the attack and landed on his back.

**Cole: 0  
Shark: 1200  
Yumi: 200  
Win: Shark + Yumi**

The pain in my body instantly faded and I felt more at ease than I had felt in a while. Shark and I took off our Duel Gazers before smiling and sharing a look into each other's eyes.

"I have to admit, that was incredible Yumi. Only you would be able to do something as impossible as that." He noted as my cheeks slowly turned red.

I looked down at my feet, "T-thanks S-Shark-kun. But the person we really should be thanking is Astrid for not losing faith in me. Isn't that right Astr-Yuma, watch out!"

My blood had turned into ice and it had every reason to, while Shark and I were congratulating each other, Cole had snuck off to the switches that held Yuma, Bronk and Tori's cages and he was fiddling around with them!

"You may have won the duel, but I never said anything about releasing your friends!" Cole explained as I knew what he said was true.

"This kook is crazy!" Yuma tried to find a way to escape from his prison, but he couldn't.

Shark and I tried our best to stop Cole, but he was way too far! By the time we were even at the halfway point, the bottom of all three cages had detached and all three of them were hurtling into the waters. At this point in time, I knew that if I got my hands on Cole, I was going to beat him to a bloody pulp with my fists!

But if I did that, I would be wasting precious time saving my friends. Cole had planned this perfectly, even though he lost the duel, as an insurance, he trapped my friends so that he would be able to distract me while making a quick getaway.

It was genius. He had planned this from the very start.

_Cole Johnson, I swear that if we ever meet again, only one of us will walk away from our next duel. I have plenty of time to pursue you, but only one chance to save my friends._

I ran towards my friends before lifting myself up onto the railings and diving into the cobalt waters.

"Hold on you guys, I'm coming!"

The first person I swam to was Tori because I knew that Yuma could wait a little longer, and I wasn't strong enough to help Bronk. I held my breath before swimming beneath the waters and grabbing Tori's wrist. I managed to pull us both up above the water before we both swam to the nearest piece of land (i.e. the pier).

"Thanks...Yumi, but...help...Bronk!" Tori managed to choke out as she coughed up some water.

"Right," I quickly looked around for Shark and Cole, but they were nowhere to be seen.

I felt sad that Shark thought it was more important to go after Cole, then to help the others. Although sometimes life has a nice way of pulling surprises because suddenly two small figures appeared out of the water.

One was clearly Bronk and the other person was...!

"Shark-kun, he did stay behind!" I whooped as I could distinctly hear Shark yelling, "Stop holding me so tight!"

My spirit was once again fired up; I actually gave out a loud cheer as I dove back into the waters and managed to pull Yuma out.

"Once I...get my hands...on Cole...he's going...to wish...he never met...me!" Yuma spat out a large amount of water which worried me because he spent quite a long time in there.

"You and me both," Shark growled as he spat out some water as well.

"I think that maybe we should all go the hospital." I suggested, "Shark's bruised, I bled quite a lot and you three nearly drowned."

Tori nodded her head, "Wise choice Yumi."

"I ain't going to no hospital, I rather-" Shark couldn't finish his sentence as he ended up passing out before falling back into the ocean.

"Don't worry Shark-kun, Yumi's here!" I followed in after him as my three friends and two spirits started to laugh.

"Observation 12a, as long as Yumi is with you, everything is going to be okay." Astrid smiled at the sky as Astral wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders while looking into the horizon with her.

"I couldn't have put it better than myself." Astral sighed with relief.

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**China: CONGRATULATIONS TO DECODE9 FOR WINNING THE COMPETITION TO DESIGN ANDROMEDA'S CHAOS FORM!**

**Yumi: Darn it! Looks like that isn't the last we've seen of Cole, he'll defiantly be back because we have a score to settle!**

**China: Next chapter Yumi will be doing some heavy thinking and going through another metaphorical transformation. Now please visit the stories I told you about and leave me a review. Byeeeee!**


	21. Utopia's New Form!

**China: This chapter is not one of my best works, but it is still a chapter nonetheless. I promise you that next chapter will be a zillion times better as it will be episode 19! **

**Yumi: Now a quick reply to reviews:**

**Pokemaster94: The only reason the language intensified throughout the story is symbolic. Basically when you analyse a poem or story, you always have to talk about the structure and its effect. The language is only intensifying throughout the story is because it symbolises the change Yumi is going through. It shows how she went from being an innocent girl to a more mature teenager; basically her condition forced her to mature too quickly. Thanks for the suggestions.**

**Astrid: China would like to thank all the new people for reviewing, following and adding it to their favourites list! Now this story has 290 reviews! Hopefully after this update, YTS should have over 300 reviews which will definitely make this the most reviewed story in this section! Now please read and review and PM China if you guys have suggestions for future chapters. Enjoy!**

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Because of Cole Johnson, Shark spent a few days in hospital recovering from his injuries. He had fractured two ribs and bruised the rest of them; thankfully he had suffered no brain damage from his time spent underwater. It was at that moment in time that I realised how much I hated Cole and wanted to make him suffer.

And worse of all because of that _bastard_, I can't duel! Basically when I dove into the ocean to save Tori, Yuma and Shark, my Duel Disk and Duel Gazer got water damaged. My deck is safe because Deck Cases these days are so airtight that water doesn't get into them. Anyway, I can no longer be called a duelist in Heartland City as a duelist needs to be ready to duel anytime, and anywhere. And worst of all, Kari can't know how I damaged my Duel Disk and Gazer or else she'll never let me leave the house!

But I would do all of that again if it meant that all of my friends were safe, it is strange visiting Shark in hospital though. For once, I'm the one visiting him instead of him visiting me. I waited outside of Shark's door for a few seconds to gather my courage before taking a deep breath, and walking into the room. The first thing I noticed was that Shark was asleep; I could hear him breathing softly which made me smile. He looked so sweet and innocent that I couldn't help but rub his cheek with the back of my hand, it felt so smooth.

_Shark looks like a little kid, I've never seen him so at peace before. _I thought as I sat down on the chair that was beside his bed.

I was determined that my happy, smiling face would be the first thing that Shark saw when he woke up. I also had a lot to tell him, it seems like Kite has been quite busy. Basically a ton of people are turning up in hospitals looking like they had aged several years, it was clear that they had had their souls stolen.

It would only be a matter of time before Kite came back and I wouldn't be prepared. Why are Duel Disks and Duel Gazers so expensive?! It is so unfair! What did I do to deserve this? Well, there is no use crying about spilt milk, what's done is done. Now I just have to wait for Shark to wake up and see how he's doing.

I'm not going to lie; waiting for Shark to wake up was incredibly _boring_. In the end, I pulled out my MP3 Player and started to listen to some music.

"But I got a plan, why don't you be the guitarist and strum my melody? Why don't you be the duelist and draw me from your deck? Cuz I rather descend, and still be there near the end. Only it's too hard to answer, can't I try and help you?" I sang aloud as I closed my eyes while swaying along to the music.

Since Shark was asleep, it wasn't embarrassing for me to sing aloud in public. Even though I _love _singing, I'm too shy to sing in public and I fear that I will never overcome this fear. Kaa-chan was the reason I wasn't scared to show everybody what my voice could do, but now that she's gone I'm too scared. What if people think I'm a crap singer? What if I freeze up on stage and everybody laughs at me. What if-

"Waaaaaah," I cried as I fell to the floor and landed on my chest.

I had to wipe a tear away from my eye because I had landed on quite a sensitive area. That was when I heard it, _laughter_. That could only mean one thing...

I looked up at Shark's bed and guess who was awake (?)

"Shark-kun, how long have you been awake for?" I demanded as I lifted myself back onto the chair.

Shark smiled, "Since you started singing."

My face turned a very deep shade of pink as I covered it with both of my hands.

_Oh shimatta, shimatta, shimatta! I am so embarrassed!_

"Oh nooooooo, I'm so embarrassed! Why didn't you tell me?" I whined as Shark snickered.

"I've been stuck in this place for days; I need some form of entertainment." He admitted as I pouted.

"Then organise your deck or catch up on your schoolwork! You shouldn't be using my horrible singing as entertainment!" I wailed as Shark covered his ears.

"How do your friends put up with you? And you are not a horrible singer, I mean you're not the best singer I've ever heard, but you're not the worst." He said as I stopped my fake crying.

_I think that was Shark talk for, 'I liked it but I don't want to admit it or else you would get a big head'._

"Thanks...I think. So how are you holding up? The hospital said they are going to release you tomorrow morning, that's good news isn't it?" I changed the topic in an attempt to shift attention away from the subject of me.

I didn't expect Shark to cheer and do a mini dance. "Finally, I hate this dumb place. I'm not even allowed to go to the toilet without a nurse stalking me, the sooner I leave, the better."

_I can't blame him for being so happy, hospitals are not very fun places and I speak from experience. I'm just glad that the hospital didn't find any evidence of me losing a lot of blood or else I would be in his place!_

I bit my bottom lip in deep thought before a powerful cough tore through my throat and I ended up coughing blood over Shark's bed sheets.

"Yumi, are you alright?" He asked as I fell forward and nearly face planted onto the floor.

_Why do I feel so weak? Surely Yuma can't be dueling or else he would have phoned me? Unless! I am such a baka sometimes; Yuma can't phone me because I have no Duel Gazer. And what's worse is that without a Duel Gazer, I can't see who he is dueling or how the duel is progressing._

"No," I cried in response to Shark's question. "My head hurts so much and-" I couldn't even finish my sentence because I vomited all over the floor, on the plus side, at least I managed to avoid Shark.

Shark threw his bed sheets off and tried to help me sit up. "I'm going to have to call a nur-"

I feebly hit him in an attempt to stop him, "You and me both...know that can't happen. I'll be fine...just need a Duel Gazer to...phone Yuma."

Suddenly Astrid appeared out of thin air and looked in horror as she witnessed the scene. "Yumi-chan...you need to hang on! Even though Astral and Yuma are losing and staring into the face of defeat, don't give up hope. Believe in them." She pleaded.

I rolled my head to the side so that I could look at her in the eyes, "How? I can't even...see them."

Astrid held out her hand towards me, "Then I'll let you see what I can see." A bright pink light emitted from her hand and the next thing I knew, I had lost all of my vision in my left eye. I almost panicked because I thought that Astrid has blinded me, but that wasn't the case because when my vision had returned, I could see a duel taking place.

**Jin: 3500  
Yuma: 1300**

It appeared that Yuma was dueling a creepy looking guy called Jin and he was losing badly. I wasn't very concerned until I saw that Jin controlled two Number monsters! One was Number 11: Big Eye (7/2600/2000) and the second was Number 39: Utopia (4/2500/2000)!

Yuma on the other hand controlled no cards and he looked scared, this wasn't good!

"Yuma, you can't give up!" I screamed at him as he looked at me.

"Yumi, I'm in a major pickle! He has Utopia and his trap card is preventing me from summoning any monsters! And worse of all, it's his move." Yuma sighed as Jin drew his sixth card.

"You'll fall into the world of Hades with your friends! Big Eye, attack him directly!" Jin pointed at Yuma with those words.

_If Yuma takes this attack, he's finished!_

"Yuma, use your trap card!" Astral exclaimed as Yuma nodded.

"I activate Nitwit Outwit! By discarding Dododo Warrior from my hand, I can reduce the amount of damage I would take this turn by the attack of the discarded monster." He explained as the brown warrior appeared in front of Yuma and held his round, brown shield up before Big Eye slammed into it.

Yuma and Astral held their arms in front of their faces and managed to not lose their footing.

**Jin: 3500  
Yuma: 1000**

I gave a mini whoop at Yuma's quick thinking before coughing again.

_He may have survived Big Eye's attack, but Utopia can still attack!_

"You may have survived Big Eye's attack, but Utopia will attack you directly and win me this duel for Kite-sama!" Jin cackled as Yuma activated his second face-down card.

"I activate Xyz Weight so that Utopia loses 800 attack points for every Overlay Unit he has. He has two so his new attack is 900!" Yuma shouted as two chains appeared from the card and wrapped around Utopia (4/900/2000).

Even though he was bound and covered in a purple aura, he still managed to draw his swords and slash Yuma with it. This time, Astral and Yuma went flying in the air before landing on their stomachs.

**Jin: 3500  
Yuma: 100**

"Yuma, you can still win this!" I yelled as my nose started to bleed heavily and my coughing had increased.

Astrid nodded her head in my direction, "Good job Yumi. You still have hope like I do, I know that they can both win this duel but _they_ don't know. Astral is still scared of Kite..."

My eyes widened with realisation, _if Astral doesn't believe in himself then he won't be able to win this duel. He and Yuma need to trust in each other's bond, they will win._

"So you managed to survive both monsters attack, but no matter! I activate the continuous spell card: Twilight Dance. This means neither of us can special summon from their graveyards! Now why don't you just give up, kid? I have two powerful monsters while you control none, you and your honourable friends lives are over! I end my turn."

Yuma was slowly staggering to his feet, he looked really bad and Astral was slowly fading.

"This is...the end." Astral closed his eyes as Astrid gasped.

"No...Onii-san can't say such a ridiculous statement! He can't say that! I won't let him!" Astrid sunk to her knees with a cry.

"There is only one thing for you to do, surrender. If you do, your friends will live. It's quite a good duel, in exchange for your Numbers, your friends will live." He smirked as my fists tightened.

_Grrrrrrr, that jerk can't just say that! If Yuma gives up then me, Astrid and Astral are done for! Yuma can't!_

"Yumaaaaaaaa," I wailed as Astral rose to his feet and stared at a figure that was shrouded with shadows.

It looked like...Kite?! But that makes no sense because Kite wouldn't just sit idly by while a Numbers duel was taking place...would he?

"Just as I thought...we can't win against him. The chance of us winning is zero; you should just surrender the duel to save your friends." Tears beaded up in the corners of my eyes at his remark.

_Astral...you can't mean that..._

Yuma's fists were clenching and unclenching on the ground before he rose to his feet. "Stop joking around! All of my friends I've met through dueling, everybody I dueled against is my precious comrades! I can't just abandon them all! If I surrender this duel, I'll never forgive myself because that will mean that Yumi dies and it'll be all my fault! Don't you see, Astral? You and Astrid are my precious comrades! I can't just turn my back on you two; I promised that I would help you!"

Astral looked shocked, "Yuma..."

I nearly smiled at Yuma's words; he really has come a long way with Astral. I couldn't describe how proud I felt at that very moment, but Jin being the evil person he is, ruined the moment.

"Hey brat, just surrender your Number cards and your soul to Kite-sama." Jin started to clean his ear with his pinkie finger which nearly made me gag in disgust.

Yuma grit his teeth together before staring at Kite, "Oi Kite! Is this guy really your servant? Answer me! Is that really Kite over there?" He demanded as Cathy started to run towards it.

"Let's see whose really standing there!" She jumped to the top of the throne before scratching away at it.

The next thing I know, a black head was falling down the stairs before a green gem plopped out of it.

It was a...!

"Fake! I knew that wasn't Kite! I've dueled him before and he doesn't seem like the type of person to take delight in people's suffering! He isn't as petty as you!" Yuma snarled as Jin's face started to waver.

"I've been afraid of...that thing?" Astral looked surprised to see that he had been terrified of such a badly made doll during the entire duel.

But who could blame him? I would have been annoyed as well, Jin is such a snake!

"Jin is such a rotten snake! When I get my hands on him, he'll wish he never-" Astrid stopped mid-rant as my bracelet and Yuma's key started to glow.

"What's happening!" I shouted as something shot into Astral which caused all these blue rings to emit from him.

Once all the glowing stopped, Astral blinked before smiling and turning to Yuma. "Win this Yuma!"

"Astral...Let's go! I draw! I activate the spell card, Comeback! This lets me take back control of Utopia! Come back Utopia!" A golden ray of light shot into Big Eye's, eye which broke the purple aura that surrounded Utopia, his eyes flashed red as he returned back to Yuma's field.

"Everything for a new path to victory has been set!" He pointed her hand at me which caused Yuma's Extra Deck to glow like crazy.

"This is?" Yuma asked as he pulled out a blank card from his Extra Deck which was the source of the glow.

"The power of hope, the emissary who turns confusion into light, Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray (4/2500/2500)!" Astral explained as I started to clap my hands together in delight.

_Utopia is going to evolve just like Andromeda did! Yuma is going to win this duel because he never once lost faith! _

"Go Yuma!" I cheered along with Astrid as Utopia returned into its sealed form.

"This new evolution will turn Utopia and his Overlay Units into one! Let's go Yuma!" Astral yelled as Yuma held out his new card.

"Chaos Xyz Change, come forth Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray (4/2500/2000)!" Utopia's sealed form flew back into a black portal before it flew back out into its new sealed form.

It basically looked the same as his last form, except he was now entirely black with gold accents and his '39' was all red and distorted.

Jin took a step back in surprise, "Chaos Number you say?! But Big Eye is still stronger!"

_I highly doubt that._

My assumptions were correct because it turned out that if Utopia Ray detached an Overlay Unit, its attack points increased by 500 and an opponent's monster lost 1000 attack points. Yuma detached all three Overlay Units to raise Utopia's attack to 4000 and Big Eye's new attack was 0!

"Now Utopia Ray, attack Big Eye with Rising Sun Chaos Slash!" Yuma commanded as Utopia took two of its swords off of his back and used them to slash Big Eye which caused it to explode.

Jin flew backwards from the force of the attack and landed on his back.

**Jin: 0  
Yuma: 100  
WIN: Yuma!**

The pain that filled my entire body was slowly ebbing away and I could no longer see Yuma, but I didn't mind because I knew that everything was alright.

Astrid squealed in delight as she started to fly around the entire room, cheering, "They did it! They did it! Yuma and Astral did it!"

I managed to gather enough strength to get off of the chair while Shark tried his best to avoid my pool of vomit as he was barefoot.

"Get out of here Yumi! Before any of the nurses show up! Unless you want to be held prisoner in this hospital," Shark exclaimed as I saluted him.

"Fair point Shark-kun, I'll catch you around school! See ya!" I quickly bolted out from his room and just in time too, I passed a nurse on my way out of the corridor and the next thing I heard was a loud, high pitched scream.

_I'm sure Shark will be able to come up with a feasible excuse, but who cares about that right now? I need to find Yuma and congratulate him on a duel well done!_

* * *

**China: Now next chapter, Yumi will be thinking about her mum quite a lot and how it moulded her into the girl she is today. DO NOT MISS IT! And Yumi now has a Duel Gazer Tattoo because Astrid gave it to her.**


	22. The Story of the Emperor's Key

**China: I am on fire with updates! It only took me two days to update because I FINALLY REACHED 300 REVIEWS! Therefore I dedicate this chapter to all my reviewers/readers, this chapter belongs to you! I hope you find it motivational in some form.**

**Reply to reviews: **

**Celtic-Yugioh-Fangirl: ****The song is a parody of one of my favourite songs by my favourite singer. It's called 'The Writer' by Ellie Goulding and I basically wrote a parody of the chorus, you will definitely see some similarities.**

**A Bell Rose: ****Yumi now has a Duel Gazer Tattoo; you can find the picture on either my Facebook page or weebly.**

**DragonKnight15: ****Considering Astrid and Astral do live in the same place, Astrid will be possessed and have a dark half like Astral does.**

**Bookworm210:**** I know I'm being quite evil with this couple :D They will probably kiss (if they ever do kiss) during the World Duel Carnival arc.**

**Sanokal:****..MIGHT! HE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN BRAIN DAMAGE! Basically when your brain is starved of oxygen, there is a high risk you'll get brain damage. Shark was under the water for a while and the doctors were concerned that he might have potential brain damage. Key word is ****_might._**

**Yumi: Now please visit China's poll on her fanfiction page to choose a shipping name for Shark and I. China was kind enough to put the explanations for each name options next to each poll choice.**

**Astrid: Now enjoy this chapter which is definitely better than chapter 21.**

* * *

"Remember everyone! Saturday's the Visitor's Class so please notify your parents." Mr. Kay informed the entire class as the bell rung to show that it was the end of the day.

Most of the class started to chat amongst themselves which showed how excited they were. However, I wasn't excited or looking forward to Saturday at all. Visitor's Class was basically when a member from your family comes to watch you in school during lessons to make sure that your lessons are being taught correctly.

Usually other children got one of their parents to come which was really depressing as it reminded me how my parents are no longer around. Still, at least I can still ask Kari or Obaa-chan to come.

_I wonder how Yuma is going to take this news. _I thought as I looked over to him and I could see that he was fast asleep.

_Typical Yuma to sleep through something as important as this, looks like it's up to me to wake him up._

"Oi Yuma." I hit the back of his head with the palm of my hand which caused to him to sit up straight while cradling his head.

"Ouch! What was that for Yumi?!" Yuma demanded as he stretched his limbs.

I rolled my eyes in annoyance at him, "Its Visitor Class on Saturday, have you decided who we're going to ask?"

Yuma's eyes widened in surprise, "Ooooooh, I didn't know that!"

I was almost tempted to hit him again, but I fought against it. I don't know what's wrong with me these days, usually I'm more passive but ever since I've visited Shark, I've been quite violent. I suppose it's because I haven't dueled for over a week and dueling is usually how I relax.

Bronk came over to Tori, "Hey Tori, have you decided which of your parents are coming?"

That was when Bronk noticed that Yuma and I were standing beside him and his face blanched. "Oops, sorry about that you t-"

Yuma interrupted him with a wave of his hand, "I'm fineeeee, I don't mind. Now if you excuse me." He bolted from his seat as he grabbed his bag and left the room.

_Poor Yuma, he hates it when people treat him differently just because our parents aren't here. I hate it as well because most people pity us, to be honest it isn't as bad as people think, I mean we still have two loving relatives who care for us._

Bronk and Tori looked concerned at Yuma's outburst.

"Is he alright? Was it something I said?" Bronk asked as I grabbed my own satchel.

I shook my head, "Don't worry about it. I better go and catch up with him, see you guys tomorrow."

I slung my satchel over my shoulder before sprinting after him; I caught him outside the school gates, waiting for me. He was giving me a tight lipped smile as we set off for home. We walked in silence for a few minutes before Astrid and Astral appeared.

"Question, what is a 'visitor's class'?" Astral asked as Yuma shoved his hands down his pockets.

He looked to the sky before answering, "It's when parents go to school to see how are grades are going."

Astrid then pointed out the obvious, "But...you guys don't _have _parents."

"I know, but your parents don't have to go either. You just need a member from your family and we still have Nee-chan and Obaa-chan." I informed them as we pulled up to the front of the house.

However when we walked in, the entire house was shrouded in darkness which was quite unusual because it usually meant that the house was empty.

"Huh, where is everyone?" Yuma asked as he scratched the back of his head in confusion.

_I admit that this is rather peculiar...maybe Obaa-chan is in her room?_

"Kari is probably working in her room, and Obaa-chan might be resting." I suggested as I ran towards her bedroom.

I knocked on her door before sliding it open; Obaa-chan was there alright, with a new kimono that was a lovely shade of green.

"Welcome home you two, my kimono arrived. I'm going to wear it to the class reunion on Saturday." She informed us with a big grin on her face.

Both Yuma and I looked at each other, "Saturday?" We asked in unison.

"I wonder if Tome-san and Okiku-san are doing well." She murmured, "and what my first love Koyoshi-san is doing..." A light blush appeared on her cheeks as she got remembered some of her past memories; Yuma decided that it would be a good moment to leave, so I followed him.

"We definitely can't ask Obaa-chan, she's obviously too busy to attend." Yuma pointed out as we made our way to Kari's room.

"At least we can still ask Nee-chan..." I trailed off as Yuma opened her door.

"Before you ask, you can't get an advance on your allowance because you have to earn it." Kari declared as she pressed a few buttons on her screens.

It figured Kari would say that, I mean why else would her loving siblings come to her (?)

"You're wrong Kari-" I stated before she cut me off.

"Then what is it? I'm busy right now." She said before answering her Duel Gazer. "Ah Brianna, I forgot the class reunion is this Saturday!"

Yuma and I shared another look with and we both had the same message in our heads. Looks like Kari is also busy and she sounds so excited.

"Yeah of course I'll be there! I'm really excited." I quietly slid out of the room before I could hear anymore.

_I really wish Obaa-chan and Nee-chan could come on Saturday, but I really don't want to ruin their plans and make them sad. Kaa-chan...Tou-chan...Why did you two have to disappear?_

* * *

The week passed slowly and it wasn't long until it was Saturday, Yuma and I still hadn't told Kari and Obaa-chan about visitor's class. To be honest, I forgot that visitor's class was still taking place on Saturday which is why I was late waking up. As a result, Yuma got up late as well.

"How could you sleep in?" Yuma exclaimed as he ran down the stairs in his socks.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation, "I'm not your keeper!" I yelled back as he tripped and fell down the stairs while pulling _me _along.

"Yumaaaa," I screamed before landing on his back. Thankfully he broke my fall which made him whine in pain.

"Oucccch," he complained as I got off of him.

"Serves you right for taking me with you," I said with a smug grin on my face as I pulled my shoes on.

"Jeez, what are you doing?" Kari sighed as I looked her up and down.

A blush had appeared on my face because of how tight her white suit is. She wore black tights, a black waistcoat, a short white skirt and a matching white blazer with an orange tie. To finish, she had purple lipstick on.

"What are you staring at?" She asked as Obaa-chan appeared behind Yuma, she looked utterly beautiful in her lime green kimono that was still sparkling.

"Fine feathers make fine birds." She chirped as Kari began to compliment her.

"Obaa-chan, you look lovely." She smiled as Obaa-chan spun around in her kimono.

"You think so? I still feel like a maiden." She giggled as Yuma and I picked up our bags.

I felt a tad guilty for lying to them, but they looked so happy! I couldn't spoil this for them and besides, there would be other visitor's classes. Yuma quietly snuck away with his satchel in his hands, trying not to catch Kari's attention but he failed because she noticed.

"Yuma, you have classes even though it's Saturday? And Yumi, what did you do? Was it because you were late to school last week because of your appointment at the hospital? Didn't you hand in that note I gave you?" She chided us and Yuma's face became sweaty.

"Uh...yeah, that's it." He admitted as Kari placed her hands on her hips.

"Of course I did Nee-chan; the last thing I want is to be held behind for a detention." I admitted before Kari's outburst.

"Don't tell me you have to attend supplementary lessons!"

"That's not it! I have to go! Come on Yumi." He grabbed my hand before running out of the front door.

"Y-Yuma," I stuttered as I grabbed my shoes, "at least let me put my shoes on first!"

* * *

It wasn't until we reached the traffic lights at school that Yuma realised that he had lost the Emperor's Key. Astral freaked out of course because it was his home and in the wrong hands...look at me, I make it sound like it's going to be the end of our world.

But seriously folks, the Emperor's Key is really important to Yuma for his own personal reasons. For some strange reason, I felt glad that my bracelet couldn't be removed because if I lost it...I would lose the last connection that I had with Kaa-chan.

"Yuma, why don't I look along the sea and you can check the path? That way we'll both find the key, twice as fast." I suggested.

Astral sure liked that idea, "Yumi's right, we must hurry!"

Yuma let out a sigh of frustration, "Fine! Hey Yumi, phone me when you're done...oh wait, you don't have a Duel Gazer."

I swatted my hand at him, "I'll figure something out. Just go!"

"I'm going! I'm going!" He ran off leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

_I can't believe how careless that boy is sometimes...well, I better get to work._

As I strolled across on the patch of grass that was next to the ocean, Astrid appeared right next to me.

"I hope you guys find that key, Astral is clearly worried." She commented as I got down on my knees to get a better look at the ground.

"Astral's forgetting how important that key is to Yuma, he has quite a long history with it." I replied as she started to help me look for the key.

"Care to explain?" She pouted.

I sat down onto the grass and crossed my legs, "It's quite a long story, but basically it's a gift to him from our tou-chan. When Yuma and I were younger, Yuma used to get bullied by these jyoukyuusei's because he said he wanted to become a Duel Champion and he never won any duels. It got to the point where Yuma refused to go to school because he didn't want to face their constant teasing, so my tou-chan took Yuma on a camping trip. I wanted to go with them, but my kaa-chan didn't let me because she thought it was something that Yuma had to do on his own.

"I was disappointed of course and so was Kari, so my kaa-chan being the incredible woman she is, took us out instead. We ate Italian because that's what Kari wanted and she is the oldest, and afterwards we started to play all these fun games like karaoke and all that. I was quite hard to beat back then because my voice was so _high_, I could hit the high notes quite easily." I giggled at the memory before I felt a familiar lump enter my throat.

Astrid looked fairly engrossed, "So how did Yuma get the key?"

I cocked my head to the side, almost as if the wind was telling me what to say next. "Oh well both Kaa-chan and Tou-chan went on an expedition to the arctic. During their expedition, the ice beneath them cracked and Tou-chan fell into a hole. Kaa-chan did all she could to save him, he was connected to this rope and she grabbed it, she did all she could to pull him up because the hole looked bottomless. Sadly Tou-chan is quite heavy and there was a chance that Kaa-chan would have fallen down with him, so he cut the rope so that she could live. She was heartbroken because imagine seeing the person you love, fall to certain death." I bit my bottom lip before Astrid's face cracked into a sad smile.

"That's so sweet, are all human men like this? Why isn't Shark-san sweet?" She enquired.

I stood up off of the grass before continuing my walk, "Everybody shows their love for different people in different ways. My tou-chan made it clear that he loved my kaa-chan; Shark-kun may not necessarily show his affection for someone in the same way. Anyway, after a week my tou-chan reappeared in an air ambulance, he was in a critical condition but he still managed to smile at us and his grip never once loosened on the key he held in his hands. While he was in hospital, he told us all about the things he had seen. Armageddon...he saw the end of a world, he always used to go on about how there are many different worlds besides our own.

"Yuma and I came to the conclusion that he must have found a link to another world, I bet it's your home world. I mean, if Astral lives in the key and my tou-chan found that key, it must be where you and Astral are from!" I said aloud as Astrid's eyes widened.

"You are so smart Yumi-chan, but you still haven't explained how Yuma got the key and why you wear that bracelet." She air tapped the bracelet I wore on my wrist before I swatted her away.

"I'm getting to it! Yuma and that Jyoukyuusei boy were dueling after school and Yuma was losing badly. They kept teasing him about how he would never become Duel Champion and I tried my best to defend him, but they ignored me and tore into Yuma. Just when I thought Yuma would give up, Tou-chan appeared with the Emperor's Key in his hand. He threw it to Yuma and told him to kattobingu! That's why Yuma rarely takes the key off his neck and always tries his best, he doesn't want to let down or disgrace Tou-chan's memory.

"In a way, that's why I wear my kaa-chan's bracelet. I only started to wear it when she disappeared so that I could remember and honour her memory. It's also a reminder of what I aspire to be, a strong independent woman who would do anything for her family, just like her. I know that I'll never be a strong as her, but I just know I'll reach that level someday." I clasped my hands together and looked into the sea.

Astrid was stunned into silence, after a few minutes she broke it. "She sounds like a wonderful person."

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes that were threatening to fall, "Yeah, she is."

Astrid floated behind me and tried to touch my shoulder, "But you're wrong about one thing Yumi-chan. You're the strongest person I know, you're only thirteen yet you've already faced so many obstacles and concurred them, I bet if your kaa-chan saw the person you've moulded into, she would be proud of you."

I cradled my legs to my chest, "Really? But what if-"

She rolled her eyes, "Don't compare yourself to other people, just be yourself. That's what I think anyway."

_Astrid has her moments of fortune cookie wisdom, but I still don't believe her because unlike her, I'm not as confident in my abilities. _

"Oi, Yumi, I've found the Emperor's Key!" Yuma's voice broke me out of my train of thoughts and I could see him a few feet behind me.

I smiled at the sight of it, "Where did you find it?"

Yuma immediately blushed in embarrassment, "Oh you know...my hammock."

I face palmed at his foolishness, "Typical Yuma, you had me worried for no reason! And now we're late!" I moaned as I ran up to him, grabbed his arm and dragged him down the street.

* * *

We were over an hour late and Mr. Kay was already halfway through his lesson by the time we arrived.

"Yuma, Yumi. Please hurry up and take your seats." He ordered as the entire class laughed at us.

The rest of the lesson went quite quickly; next it was time for Gym class where we would be jumping over vaults. The entire class (parents included) were muttering amongst themselves, wondering if Yuma would attempt the twenty vault challenge. However Yuma didn't really seem to be in the mood, so Mr. Kay assigned Tori and Caswell to jump over five vaults.

"Do your best Caswell!" Mrs. Francis yelled.

"Go Tori!" Mrs. Stone cheered her on.

Tori blushed while Caswell grinned.

"To summarize, I'll do my best!" He exclaimed as he ran towards the springboard like Tori and jumped into the air. Tori managed to fly across it perfectly and stand on both of her feet, Caswell however got clipped and even though he cleared the vault, he fell flat on his face.

I nudged Yuma, "Are you going to kattobingu today?" I asked him as he smiled while closing his eyes.

Before he could answer, a miracle happened.

"You two are in so much trouble!" Kari roared as Yuma's eyes snapped open.

Kari and Obaa-chan we pushing their way through the crowds with an annoyed expression on each of their faces, something tells me we're in trouble!

"Yuma, Yumi!" Obaa-chan snapped.

"Nee-chan, Obaa-chan," we both chorused as we fought our way to the front of the crowd.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Obaa-chan pointed her finger at both of us.

Kari clenched her fist, "That's right! Did you think that we could leave you alone and go have fun?!"

_Awwww, they really do care about us. We should have come clean from the start, family does come before leisure._

I turned to Yuma with a playful grin on my face before punching his arm. "Yuma, give this crowd what they came for!"

Everybody started to agree with me before Yuma a devious grin appeared on his face, he wiped under his nose with his index finger.

"Yoshi, I challenge twenty boxes!" He grabbed the key the entire time he said this.

I cheered the loudest amount the entire crowd as the boxes we stacked up, Astrid floated next to me.

"Is he crazy?" She asked me as Astral looked intrigued by the look in Yuma's eyes.

"What is it Yuma?" He enquired as Yuma stared at the top of the vaults.

"They are kindly watching me." Yuma murmured as I followed his gaze, I knew he was talking out our parents.

I wondered that if I focused hard enough, would I be able to see them. But seeing doesn't necessarily believe, as long as I believe my parents are watching over me, then their teachings will live on forever.

"I see I somehow get the feeling that I can see them too." Astral nodded his head as Astrid joined in.

"Gooooooo Yuma!"

"Yuma, Yuma, Yuma!" Kari and Obaa-chan cheered him on; Oba-chan even brought two fans out in either hand to show her support for Yuma.

"Do your best!"

"Observation number fourteen, it seems Yuma and Yumi is loved by everyone." Astral noted as Astrid shook her head at him.

"Your wrong onii-san, you left something out. Observation number fourteen, as long as you live the teachings that people precious to you taught you, they'll never truly be gone." Astrid smiled as Yuma got into his running stance.

"Go Yuma!" Astral told him.

"High five the sky, be brave!" I started to pump my fist into the air.

Yuma nodded his head at me, "Arigato Imouto, I do kattobingu!" He whooped as he jumped up high into the air and into the unknown.

Maybe just maybe he would make it; after all, anything could happen. I wouldn't be surprised if he did make it.

_Kaa-chan...Tou-chan...Wherever you are, please stay safe and remember that your family will always be waiting for you to come back._

* * *

**China: I think I did a really good job in this chapter, what do you guys think? Don't forget to visit my poll and stay tuned for next chapter when Black Mist appears! Its twin against twin! Will Yumi be able to win the duel and free Astrid, Astral and Yuma? Or will she die a horrible, painful bloody death? Either way you don't want to miss: Bond Between Twins! Dark Yuma Vs Yumi!**

**Yumi: Now please review :D**


	23. Bond Between Twins! Dark Yuma Vs Yumi!

**China: Alright! Here is the chapter that you've all been waiting for!**

**Yumi: I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WROTE NEARLY 8000 WORDS!**

**China: Well believe it, now I have a feeling that after this chapter I will lose most of my readers because of what I have done to Black Mist. But for all of those who end up being against what I've done, just remember that I'm trying to keep this story original and I'm writing it my way to test my writing skills.**

**Astral: The poll still needs more people to vote on it.**

**China: Now please enjoy this chapter and review :D**

* * *

It was three weeks before Yuma and I found another Numbers Holder...and by Yuma and me, I really mean it was Yuma. He had been dueling after school and this guy had challenged him to a duel, Astrid had sensed that this guy had a bad aura and Astral could tell that he was possessed.

I couldn't duel because I had no Duel Disk, so Yuma was the one who dueled in my place. I had fixed my Duel Gazer problem though, it turned out that Astrid had the ability to give me a rocking Duel Gazer Tattoo! I found it really cute, the entire body of it was a light pink (it matched Astrid's body colour) and my eye turned lilac. I think it was in the shape of a wing...I wasn't very sure how to describe its shape.

Anyway back to the duel. And strangely enough, Yuma was in the lead and he hadn't lost any Life Points.

**Number Holder: 1000  
Yuma: 4000**

The Number Holder on the other hand was down to his last 1000 which was a mini miracle in itself. Yuma had Number 39: Utopia on his field, while the other guy had three Giant Germs (2/1000/100) in attack mode. He hasn't summoned his Number card all duel and now that he has three level two monsters...

"I overlay my three level two monsters to build the Overlay network and summon Number 96: Black Mist (2/100/1000) in attack mode!" The man held his hand out in front of him as the three light purple blobs turned into three smaller balls of dark purple. They flew up into the air before flying into a galaxy filled portal that had appeared in the middle of the field.

Bronk, Tori, Astrid, Astral, Yuma and I all waited in fear for the new Number card. A huge mass of darkness appeared in the middle of the field with three dark purple balls orbiting it; it slowly unravelled into the least scary monster that I had ever seen. It was just a black blob with two holes in its chest; the Number '96' was on its face.

"100 attack points?!" Brink, Tori and I exclaimed in shock.

_That monster is difficult to summon, yet its incredibly weak...I don't buy it. I bet it has some powerful effect! Yuma better be careful!_

I thought that Yuma would be logical for once in his life, but instead he smiled. "Let me crush this Number!"

I held my hand out, "Yuma don't you dare attack!"

Astral supported me, "Don't attack recklessly!"

Astrid on the other hand went against me, "Yuma knows what he's doing! He can't afford to show fear when he's attacking, plus he can always negate his attack with Utopia's effect!"

Yuma pointed at Black Mist, "Astrid is right, I can't afford to show fear! I attack Black Mist with Utopia, Rising Sun Slash!"

"Yuma, I can't believe you!" I snarled as he ignored me.

Utopia flew up into the air with his sword in his hands, with a battle cry he plunged the blade in a downwards motion which cut Black Mist in half. My body tensed up, I half expected something bad to happen but Black Mist simply flew backwards before digitising.

Yuma's opponent screamed as he flew backwards into the air and hit the ground with a loud 'thud'.

**Number Holder: 0  
Yuma: 4000  
WIN: Yuma!**

Even though I was glad that Yuma won, it didn't take away the anger I felt at him though. I can't believe he just went against Astral and me like that! He should have listened to us; Black Mist could have a dangerous ability! Still, I have a feeling that card holds many mysteries; I'll have to examine it the first chance I get. Astral stuck his hand out and used it to absorb Number 96 into his body.

"Yuma dueled amazingly, what do you think Yumi-chan?" Astrid asked as I deactivated my Duel Gazer.

"I think he should have listened to me and Astral, he can't afford to take risks like that!" I snapped at her before tossing my hair over my shoulder.

I looked over to him and he was celebrating with Tori, Bronk on the other hand had the same expression on his face as I did. I can see that I'm not the only one who feels strongly against this. With a sigh, I stomped over to Yuma as he left with Tori and Bronk.

* * *

Yuma wouldn't stop bragging about his 'perfect victory'; Bronk still had a stone-like face.

"As long as I show up, the likes of Numbers are no match for me!" Yuma smirked as Tori interluded.

"It was just a single win." She pointed out as Bronk added onto her sentence.

"But that attack from Utopia was pretty reckless." I nodded in agreement.

"Bronk is right; you can't just attack without knowing the effect of a card!

I thought that Yuma would at least feel guilty, but he just swatted the issue away like it was nothing! I was absolutely fuming!

"It's alright, that kind of Numbers ain't worth it..." Bronk suddenly lunged out at Yuma.

"That is not what we meant! You were completely clueless about that monster!" He growled as he grabbed the front of Yuma's shirt and lifted him off of his feet.

"But I won anyway! I have my own way of doing things!" Yuma fought out of his grasp and started to pull Bronk's cheeks.

"Bronk has a point you baka! I don't like this attitude of yours! If you keep being so arrogant, you're running the risk of losing your future duels!" I explained as I pushed Yuma away from Bronk and started to literally kick Yuma's butt.

"Naniiiiiiiiiii," Yuma wailed as Tori's cheeks puffed up.

"Will you two just stooooooooooooooop?!" She screeched.

* * *

Yuma and I spent the next three days not talking to each other which I found really awkward because we lived with each other. Kari and Obaa-chan tried to get us both to talk to each other, but we were both too stubborn to back down.

I refused to apologise because Yuma was clearly in the wrong, he should be so reckless! He ignored me and Astral's advice which just goes to show how much he values our opinion. I was clearly more moody than usual; it didn't help that I couldn't duel to release my frustration.

However on the third day of our argument, a miracle happened. When I was on the school roof, hiding from everybody, (i.e. Yuma)  
Shark appeared. He walked over to me (I was lying on my back with my arms behind my head) and lightly kicked me. I sat up almost immediately before yawning.

"Nani," I asked in an annoyed tone as I stretched my arms out.

Shark looked a bit uncomfortable as he shifted the strap of his bag from shoulder to shoulder. "I don't want you to misinterpret my actions or anything, but…well, this should cover it."

He took a large blue parcel out of his bag that was badly wrapped, Shark may have many talents but wrapping up presents isn't one of them. Still, this is such a sweet gesture and I wonder what he got me. It's quite heavy…

With trembling hands, I ripped open the blue paper and I now held a familiar white rectangular box in my hands. On the side of it was 'Duel Disk' emblazoned in red and on the main body of it was a picture of the model.

…Oh you have got to be kidding me.

"You got me a new Duel Disk?!" I screamed in excitement as I placed the box on the ground before glomping Shark.

"Dear Lord!" He blurted out as the force of my assault knocked us both to the ground. Shark felt the full force of it because I was lying on top of him.

My hands were on either side of his head and my knees were on either side of his waist so that he couldn't feel how heavy I am. Our faces were quite close to each other, even closer than they had been during that night he gave me a lift home. Except this time I wasn't looking at his eyes. I was looking at his lips instead. I confess that I might have stared at them longer if he didn't ask me to get off of him.

And it wasn't exactly asking…more like demanding.

"Get off of me!" He insisted as I used my hands to push me up to my feet.

Once I was off of him, I held my hand out so that I could help him up. Shark was shooting me evils the entire time.

"I swear, sometimes you are way too affectionate." He commented as I picked up the box for my new Duel Disk.

"Not all of us have to be heartless creatures just because you are." I shot back as he shrugged.

"I prefer the term…isolated. I get more work done on my own than in the company of others. And the only reason I bought you a new Duel Disk was because I couldn't stand your constant whining or mood swings. I thought you were annoying before, turns out I had no idea." He answered as I put my hands up.

"Dueling is a great stress reliever, it's not my fault I have a lot of stress. But seriously, thank you Shark-kun. I owe you a fair amount, one of these days I fear what favour you'll call in." I joked as he smirked.

"I'll keep that in mind the next time somebody gets in my way, that way I won't be the one getting sent down. And just accept my token; I'm doing all of Heartland a favour."

I can't just accept this though; Shark knows I hate owing people. I'm going to have to find some way to pay him back.

"Then promise me this, one of these days we're going to duel and neither of us will hold _anything _back. Deal," I held my hand out which Shark shook.

"Deal, the last duel we had was three months ago and you let me win." He pointed out as I shifted anxiously from foot to foot.

"Yeaaaaaah, but I have an excuse for that. I'm not your keeper, so I have to let you make your own mistakes. Unfortunately I realised that way too late by then, so that was the only thing I could do." I confessed as the school bell rang.

_Just when I finally managed to have a proper conversation with Shark without blushing like crazy, this happens._

Shark sat down and rested his back on the pillar, "You better get to class."

I had a puzzled look on my face, "But why aren't you going to class?"

He placed his bag next to him before opening it, "I get more work done on my own."

I threw the box into my bag before climbing down the roof, "Well as long as you're not falling behind. See you later."

* * *

I was in my bedroom talking to Astrid when Tori phoned me and told me to meet her. Considering I was already dressed and Astrid insisted that I needed to get out more, I decided to go and meet her as it was only a ten minute walk.

However when I got there, I could see that she was talking to Yuma and Bronk. I managed to catch snippets of their conversation.

"...you already apologized to Bronk, but you can't apologize to your imouto-san?!" Tori exclaimed.

_Well at least Bronk and Yuma are speaking again, so I guess that's progress._

"Hmpft, it was Yumi's fault anyway! She was the one who started it." Yuma declared as Astral flew over to Yuma.

"Do you really think its okay to leave things like this? If Astrid and I stopped speaking, you would force us both to make up. Even though we disagree on a lot of issues, she is still my family. Just like how Yumi's your sister." Astral reminded him as Yuma's left eye twitched.

"Well sometimes I wish Yumi wasn't my imouto!" Everybody gasped at his words and I couldn't believe he said that.

"Well sometimes I wish that you weren't my Onii-chan!" I shouted back as Yuma finally realised that I was standing behind him.

Astrid flew in front of me and tears sprang to her eyes, "Yumi-chan! You can't mean that!"

I glared at her before turning on my heels to leave, when Yuma touched my shoulder. "Yumi, wait!"

I immediately turned around before using my hand hit Yuma's chest, except I ended up knocking the Emperor's Key off of its rope and it flew to the ground with a metallic 'clang'.

I instantly regretted my move, "Well...you were the one who surprised me."

That was when the chaos truly began because black slime started to slither out of Yuma's Extra Deck and started to pool on the floor. Something was really wrong! Astrid started to scream and I thought she was just disgusted by the sight, but then I realised that it was a scream of _pain_.

The black slime flew upwards in two directions, the first pool seemed random but the second pool was aimed at Astrid.

"No...Number 96...why?" Astrid cried as the second pool of slime engulfed Astral.

"What...is this?" Astral asked before these sparks started to shock both astral beings.

The tentacles that were attached to the both of them appeared to be throbbing as both of their bodies turned black.

"Astral! Astrid!" Yuma and I cried out as Bronk and Tori were confused.

"What is this?" They both asked as I realised that this was only happening because Yuma didn't have his key!

"Bronk, get the key!" I yelled at him as he was closer to it then I was.

Bronk nodded before he ran to the spot that the key had been flung to.

Astral and Astrid's arms spread out at exactly the same time which looked rather ominous.

"We've been waiting for this moment for a long time." A deep voice called out.

"The moment we possess your body and become complete, destroy! Destroy everything!" A higher pitched voice giggled.

_Okay now I'm scared!_

Astral and Astrid cried out in agony as they were surrounded by all these black tentacles. One of them managed to snag Yuma's wrist and moved onto all of his limbs before lifting him up into the air.

"What is this?!" Yuma screamed as the other tentacles made a beeline straight for me.

"S-stay away from me you...weird tentacley things," I insisted before I held my arms up in self defence.

Suddenly a light blue barrier appeared in front of me and caused to tentacle to dissolve.

_Why didn't the tentacles touch me like they did to Yuma?_

That's when I noticed that I was holding my bracelet arm up, that must have been why it didn't touch me! And because Yuma isn't wearing the key, that's the reason why Black Mist was able to capture him!

When the two astral beings stopped squirming, that's when I knew that Black Mist had completely taken control of them.

"It's useless you know?" Dark Astrid (I don't really know what to call her) said.

Dark Astral/Black Mist nodded his head in agreement, "Agreed, he can't run anywhere!"

_This Number card is crazy! Why is it going all evil?! None of the other Number cards are like this!_

"Yuma, give Utopia to Yumi!" Astral managed to shout out before Black Mist had taken complete control of him.

_I wonder why Astral wants me to have Utopia. I mean, I already have Andromeda who is stronger...unless he doesn't want Utopia to serve Black Mist who might use him against me._

Yuma managed to open his Extra Deck before plucking a single card from it. "Yumi, take my hope!"

Yuma then threw his card at me which I promptly caught. "Don't worry Utopia, we'll get you back to your owner soon enough." I told it as I shot an evil look at the both of them.

Astrid temporarily took back control of her body, "Yumi-chan...I know you can beat these fiends and free us allllllllllllllllllllllllll!" She screamed again as her body was possessed yet again.

"Now that we've taken out those two ahos, I think its time we introduced ourselves!" Dark Astrid cackled.

I instantly growled at her because 'aho' means 'fools' so 'ahos' means 'fools'.

"You're right my dear imouto. I'm Number 9: Black!" Dark Astral declared.

"And I'm Number 6: Mist!" Dark Astrid added.

"And together we form Number 96: Black Mist! We're two minds who are trapped in the same card!" They both chorused as I tried to comprehend what they said.

"So...you two are basically like a hive mind?" I asked.

A hive mind is when a single being occupies two bodies, except it appears the spirit of Black Mist has something similar to multiple personality disorder as it fails to identify itself as one being. This could be why it's splitting up its name between Astral and Astrid to remain some form of individuality between them. Or maybe Black Mist is really two minds in the same card, when it comes to Number cards I'm not really surprised anymore.

They looked at each other before shouting out together, "We're nothing like that!"

I rolled my eyes at them, "Suuuure."

"Shut up you brat!" Dark Astrid (or should I just call her Mist for short) hissed.

"Patience, remember that we're the strongest of Numbers! All we have to do is get that girl to surrender all of her Number cards! It's peculiar how even though both of those humans are related, they don't share their Numbers with each other." Black Mist noted.

"True. Hey you girl, give me all of those Number cards you hold!" Dark Astrid extended her arm in an attempt to hurt me.

But this time, I didn't even flinch as the blue barrier appeared in front of me again which caused her to scream in pain as her hand connected.

"Argh, what magic is this?" She snarled as Tori and Bronk ran over to me.

"Yumi-chan, what just happened?" Tori inquired as I held out my bracelet arm.

"It's the power of my bracelet; I guess it does have its advantages." I commented as Bronk held out the key. "You guys might want to keep hold of that and stay together, I don't want you two to get hurt."

Bronk looked startled, "What do you mean?! You're not seriously planning on dueling that thing are you?!"

Yuma's eyes widened, "Yumi, you can't duel them! They're too dangerous, hurry up and run with Tori and Bronk!"

My fist clenched in front of me, "You can't expect me to just leave you here! I've been in worse situations before and I know I can handle this!"

"That's because you've never dealt with anything like _them _before!" Yuma shouted at me as I gave him a sad smile.

"Yuma, I've dueled Mr. Kay, Nelson, Scorch, Chills, Cole and even Kite. They were all tough opponents and even though I admit that I do feel like giving up sometimes, I never will because you inspire me to kattobingu! So even though I'm absolutely _terrified _right now, I'm still going to stand strong just like you would do in my position. You wouldn't run, so why should I? "

"Yumi..." Yuma's eyes started to tear up, "I didn't mean it when I said that I wished you weren't my imouto. You're the best imouto in the world and I'm lucky to have you."

"Yuma..." My own eyes started to well up with tears, "I didn't mean it either. You just hurt me so badly and I wanted to hurt you as well."

That was when the malicious duo ruined the moment, "This moment is so sweet I just want to _throw-up_!"

"Now let's duel! I'll be your opponent." Black Mist declared as he turned his tentacles back into legs and Yuma fell onto the ground.

_No! He's going to use Yuma as a puppet and Yuma doesn't have his key so he might succumb to Black Mist's power!_

"Wait Yumi, I thought you didn't have a Duel Disk!" Yuma realised as I winked at him.

"It's been nearly a month since my Duel Disk got destroyed, of course I've replaced it by now." I lifted up my shirt to reveal the Duel Disk that I had hooked onto my waist. "Now enough of this, lets duel!"

"Duel Disk set!"

Yuma threw his red Duel Disk into the air at the same time as me. It unfolded into the air before he caught it on the main body of the Duel Disk and its five card zones slotted up.

I threw my Duel Disk into the air as well which caused it to fly in a sideways fashion; I caught it on the main body of my Duel Disk as well before its five lilac card zones popped up. The Duel Disk that Shark gave me was radically different from my own one. Instead of being the standard version it was a customised one, I didn't know if I should read into it or not because it being customised shows that Shark went to a lot of trouble.

The main body of it was a violet colour (one of my favourite colours, plus it matches my skirt), and it connected to the five card slots with these six crystal like objects that was light pink. The card slots were lilac (it matched my top) and on the back of it was entirely pink with two blue gems. One gem was connecting the card slots and the other was responsible for hold my deck in place.

"Duel Gazer set!"

Yuma threw his Duel Gazer into the air to unfurl it before attaching it to his face. I swept my hand over my left eye which caused my vision to briefly flash white before all these numbers materialised all over the field.

**"A/R VISION LINK ESTABLISHED."**

Yuma and I both drew our starting hands before shouting out, "Let's duel!"

**Yumi: 4000  
Black Mist: 4000**

"Imouto's before Onii-chan's! I dr-aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh," I screamed as I looked at my hand and realised something very important.

This _wasn't _my deck. Well it was my deck, except it was my Madolche deck. How did this happen?! Wait...

* * *

**Flashback:**

After Tori had phoned me, I decided that I should take my Duel Disk with me because what if I ran into a Numbers Holder?

"Hey Yumi-chan, that's such a nice Duel Disk. Where did you get it from?" Astrid asked as I hooked it onto my waistband.

I immediately blushed as I looked away from her and walked over to my dresser where I put all my decks (i.e. all two of them) and turned my back on them.

"It was a...present." I wasn't lying, it _was _a gift.

Astrid grinned, "So why are you blushing?!"

I swatted my hand at her before grabbing a Deck Case from my dresser without looking. "Mind your own business!"

* * *

**Present:**

...This is all Astrid's fault! Because of her I took the wrong deck case! I haven't used this deck since that duel with Shark and it's probably all unbalanced. I really hate myself for not paying much attention to this deck.

Yuma looked concerned, "Are you alright Imouto?"

I swatted my hand at him, "Worry about yourself right now. I summon Madolche Mewfeuille (3/500/300) in attack mode!"

A small pink plushie cat appeared on the field, it was lying on its back meowing.

"Awww, it's so cute." Tori gushed.

Yuma's eyes widened with realisation, "Your deck!"

"Adorable isn't it? Gosh Yuma, I don't see why you're so surprised because I always use this deck." I winked at him.

I was basically telling him, "Play along you idiot!"

"Anyway when Mewfeuille is normal summoned, I can special summon any Madolche monster from my hand! I summon Madolche Baaple (3/0/1800) in attack mode." A small white sleep plushie with two yellow swirls on its shoulder appeared on the field. It kept saying 'baa'.

"She has two level three monsters on the field." Bronk commented as I held my hand up.

"I overlay my level three Mewfeuille and Baaple to build the Overlay Network. Xyz summon! Appear before us! The ruler of desserts, rise up **Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress (3/2100/2000) **in attack mode."

My two monsters turned into two streams of brown energy before flying up into the air and falling into a glowing red portal. In a flash of light, a girl with light pink hair tied in pigtails appeared. She had fair skin, chocolate brown eyes, and red and white polka dot hair ties. Her clothes consisted of an oversized pink dress that matched her hair and the sleeves trailed over her hands, in her clothed hands rested a giant silver spoon with a blob of strawberry ice-cream on the end of it.

"Next I end my turn with two face-down cards." I finished as I looked over to Yuma, "Don't worry Onii-chan, you'll be saved soon enough."

Dark Astrid smirked, "No Number card? How do you expect to win?"

I gritted my teeth, "With my determination!"

Black Mist laughed, "Your naivety is refreshing. I discard Pinecono so that I can special summon Acorno (1/200/400) in attack mode." A small light brown acorn with yellow limbs appeared; it had a beautiful pair of emerald green eyes.

"Since Pinecono was sent to my graveyard from my hand, I can special summon it to the field. Be reborn Pinecono (1/400/200)!" Another monster appeared next to Acorno; it had a pinecone-like hat, pale skin, dark purple eyes, a yellow long sleeved shirt, an orange waistcoat, pinecone-like trousers and black shoes.

"Then I normal summon Darklon (1/100/100) and when this monster is normal summoned, I can turn every monster on the field into a DARK-attribute monster and increase their levels by one." A dark brown ball of fuzz with a cap of blonde hair hopped onto the field and every monster on Yuma's field had a black aura.

_Three level twos; he's got the right monsters to summon the card, Black Mist! And I never got the chance to analyse it as well!_

Dark Astrid held her hand out, "I overlay level two Acorno, Pinecono and Darklon to build the Overlay Network! Xyz summon! Show yourself, two bodies, two souls and one mind! The messenger from the pitch-black darkness, Number 96: Black Mist (2/100/1000) in attack mode!"

The three monsters turned into three balls of purple energy before flying up into the air and into a galaxy filled portal. In a flash of dark light, there was a black blob in the middle of the field with three light purple balls orbiting it. Suddenly a muscular black clawed (by clawed I mean sharp silver razors!) hand emerged from one side of the black mass and on the other side, a slender black hand with smaller claws appeared. Next a muscular black leg popped out under the razor hand and a more slender leg in comparison appeared under the side that had the more feminine hand.

To finish, the main body of the creature was quite peculiar and I didn't know what to make of it. On its forehead (I think it was its forehead) was a purple '96' and its face/body was a mixture of fire and razors. The left half of its face seemed to be angrier than its right half as it was frowning. The right half of its face appeared to be smirking which was unnerving; this definitely wasn't the same form I saw last time!

"What in the world!" Bronk exclaimed as Tori cowered a bit.

"What happened to it?" She asked as I growled.

_This card is definitely smarter than I gave it credit for, it allowed itself to be captured easily so that it could take over Astrid and Astral. Plus it camouflaged itself the first so that Yuma and I wouldn't have a reason to distrust it._

"This is the true form of Black Mist!" The duo chorused at exactly the same time. "Now attack **Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress**!"

My eyes widened, "I know you two wouldn't be dumb enough to attack a monster that powerful with 100 attack points, so what's the deal!" I demanded as Dark Astrid snickered.

"I knew the girl wouldn't be as dumb as the boy. When Black Mist attacks, by detaching one Overlay Unit, the attack of one of my opponent's monsters is halved and that halved amount can strengthen our own attack points! Shadow gain," she smirked as Black Mist absorbed one of its Overlay Units into its torso before spreading its body. Several strands of darkness whipped away at my monster which caused her to scream in pain.

**Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress: 1050  
Black Mist: 1150 **

_Shimatta, Black Mist will always have 100 more attack points than the monster it uses its effect on! Is this why Black Mist calls itself the strongest monster?_

"No way, that means Black Mist will always be more powerful than Yumi's monsters!" Bronk realised as Black Mist held out his hand.

"Now Black Mist, attack with Black Mirage Whip!" He commanded as Black Mist turned his arms into black tentacles that were flying towards my monster.

Too bad I was ready for Black Mist to pull something like this.

"I activate Doble Passé and the continuous trap, Madolche Waltz!" I shouted as the black tentacles bypassed **Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress **and struck me.

**Yumi: 2850  
Black Mist: 4000**

"Ahhhhhh," I yelped as I flew backwards and landed onto my back.

Before my body had even touched the ground, my brain was already pounding because of the damage that I had sustained. But sometimes a duelist has to take damage in order to win a duel.

Everybody looked confused, "Why would the brat take that hit to her Life Points just to save her monster?"

I jumped to my feet and held my hand out, "Doble Passé forces your monster to direct attack me, but in exchange my monster can attack you directly! Strawberry Assault," I commanded as **Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress **glided over to Yuma and hit him over the head with her spoon.

**Yumi: 2850  
Black Mist: 2950**

Yuma hissed in pain before he rubbed his head.

"I hate it admit it Onii-chan, but that wasn't a bad move." Dark Astrid commented as I prepared for the next step in my assault.

"If you thought that wasn't bad, then you'll love this. Due to Madolche Waltz, if a Madolche monster attacks or is attacked, my opponent takes 300 points of damage!" I elaborated as my monster lifted up her spoon and flicked it at Yuma so that a giant blob of strawberry ice-cream hit Yuma and made him fall on his butt.

**Yumi: 2850  
Black Mist: 2650**

My opponents were growling at me by this point and I was enjoying their reactions because in my eyes, it meant that I was one step closer to saving Yuma.

"We set two cards face-down to end our turn!"

Two horizontal cards appeared behind Black Mist but in front of Yuma.

"It's my turn, I draw! I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards." I added two cards to my hand which gave me a grand total of four cards.

"I activate **Ice-Cream Mistress's **effect. By detaching one Overlay Unit from her and lowering her attack and defense points by 300 (3/1800/1700), I can return one face-up card on the field to its owner's hand. I choose Black Mist!" I declared as my monster absorbed one of her brown Overlay Units into her spoon and she started to wave it in the air.

"We activate the trap card, Overlay Banish! When our opponent uses an effect that involves an Overlay Unit, we can negate its activation!" They both explained as the card stood up and shot a multicoloured ray of light at **Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress**.

She dropped her spoon and fell to her knees before crying.

I snarled at the both of them, "Fine! I summon Madolche Chouxvalier (4/1700/1300) in attack mode!" The toy soldier galloped onto my field with his trusty stead. He had an old fashioned French general hat, long blonde hair, brown eyes and a black army uniform with golden epaulettes. In his hand he wielded a red and white candy cane sword and his horse was white with lime green hair.

"But if you think my move is over, you're wrong! I equip him with Shooting Star Bow – Ceal, by lowering his attack points by 1000 he can attack you two directly (4/700/1300)! Go Chouxvalier!" The candy cane sword in his hands was replaced with a red bow and arrow.

He snapped the reigns of his horse and charged straight at Yuma, he pulled the string of the bow back and sent the red arrow flying towards Yuma.

**Yumi: 2850  
Black Mist: 1950**

"And Madolche Waltz causes you to take 300 _more _points of damage!" I snarled as Chouxvalier fired another arrow at Yuma which caused him to hit the ground again.

**Yumi: 2850  
Black Mist: 1650**

I was so angry at Black Mist that I forgot to properly check its effect. "**Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress**, attack Black Mist!" I screeched as he chuckled.

"It seems you still don't understand the terror of Black Mist, and I thought you were the smart one." Dark Astrid said.

"How right you are, I activate the effect of Black Mist! Shadow gain," Black Mist absorbed one of its Overlay Units into its torso before spreading its body. Several strands of darkness whipped away at **Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress **which caused her to scream in pain.

**Madolche Ice-Cream Mistress: 525  
Black Mist: 1675**

"Now attack with Black Mirage Whip," the black tentacles struck my monster again which actually digitised her this time.

I couldn't stand withstand the force of the attack, so I flew backwards again. The pain in my head had worsened and I started to cough quite violently, which tore up my throat.

**Yumi: 1700  
Black Mist: 1350**

"Nani, why did we take 300 points of damage?" Dark Astrid enquired.

I giggled slightly as I rose to my feet, "When a Madolche monster attacks or battles, you lose 300 Life Points due to Madolche Waltz. It doesn't matter if my monster loses that battle. I set one card face-down to end my turn."

Bronk and Tori looked concerned at my current state.

"Why isn't Yumi summoning Andromeda?" Tori asked Bronk.

Bronk shrugged, "I don't know, maybe it's because she can't summon two level five monsters. I'm surprised she hasn't summoned Utopia yet."

_Bronk is wrong, I could summon two level five monsters if I wanted to but I don't. I don't want people to believe that get my dueling strength from Andromeda; I want to show everybody that I am a capable duelist even without my Number cards._

"I set one card face-down. Turn en-" I coughed up some blood into my hands before spitting some of it out.

Just as Black Mist started his turn, something strange happened. Yuma suddenly gasped in pain before screaming in agony, Bronk and Tori looked worried but I was confused. I knew Yuma well enough to know when he's faking or not and that was clearly faking.

_"Yumi-chan, you must play along." _I thought I heard Astrid's voice in my head and I didn't know if I imagined it or not.

Nevertheless, Yuma must be acting this way for a reason so I have to play along.

"Onii-chan, are you alright?!" I shouted as Yuma fell to his knees and onto his chest. He lay motionless for a few seconds before he rose to his feet.

The malevolent duo looked at each other before smirking, "He is finally possessed by us! Now we draw and attack that puny monster of yours with Black Mist! Next we detach his final Overlay Unit, Shadow Gain!"

Black Mist absorbed one of its Overlay Units into its torso before spreading its body. Several strands of darkness whipped away at Madolche Chouxvalier and severely weakened him.

**Madolche Chouxvalier: 350  
Black Mist: 2025**

"Now finish your attack with Black Mirage Whip!"

The black tentacles whipped Chouxvalier that he digitised almost immediately. I braced myself for the pain that I was about to feel because that attack is going to take a huge chunk of my Life Points! The black tentacles wrapped around both my wrists, my legs and my waist before lifting me up into the air.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhh put me down!" I screamed in surprised before Dark Astrid snapped her fingers.

"Gladly," she smiled sweetly as the tentacles slammed me into the ground. That attack didn't feel like Augmented Reality, it felt _real _which made no sense as my bracelet should be protecting me. Maybe it's because it knows that I wasn't in any real danger.

**Yumi: 25  
Black Mist: 1050**

Once my body had made contact with the ground, I wished I was dead. My entire body felt like it had been repeatedly thrown into several trees before I was ran over by a monster truck. My nose was bleeding quite heavily and I wondered if it was because I was dying, or if it was from the force of the attack. My throat felt like it was on fire and it felt all wet, but not in the nice sense.

I couldn't believe I only had 25 Life Points left, this had never happened to me before. I had underestimated Black Mist and let my anger seek the best of me...how foolish of me.

"Yumi-chan, please stand up!" Tori begged me.

"Tori's right, you need to free Yuma!" Bronk added as my hands started to clench into fists by my side.

_They're right; Yuma, Astrid and Astral are counting on me. I have to get up and save my friends!_

"I'm...not going...to let you...win this..._duel_!" I managed to choke out as I wiped some of the blood that was trailing out of my nose with a tissue that I had found in my pocket.

"Looks like she still found the strength to duel, ooooo, she is a fighter. It'll make it all the more fun to _break_ her." Dark Astrid jumped up and down in glee as Black Mist got ready to continue his move.

"And now we will destroy her face-down-" Dark Astrid cut off as Yuma interrupted her.

"Her face-down card is just a decoy, she's only trying to trick you two so you don't discover her real plan."

Tori looked surprised, "No Yuma! You can't help them!"

_Why would Yuma be telling them about my face-down card..._

"He can no longer hear your voice!" Dark Astrid hissed.

"Next turn she will summon Madolche Hootcake and summon all the monsters in her graveyard onto the field, then she'll use Madolche Chateau to make it more powerful than Number 96. Madolche Waltz will then inflict 300 points of damage for every Madolche monster that attacks." Yuma explained as Black Mist had a sour expression on his face.

"Imouto, this is a worrying matter!" Black Mist exclaimed as Dark Astrid nodded her head.

We activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Madolche Waltz!" A tornado appeared on the field and pounded into Madolche Waltz before digitising it.

"We've lost him." Bronk said in a sad tone as Black Mist and Dark Astrid congratulated Yuma.

"Good job Yuma." Black Mist smirked.

"Now we can win this duel and keep these bodies!" Dark Astrid sneered as Yuma looked up at me and winked.

_Yuma tricked those goons to give me a fighting chance! I won't let his feelings go to waste! _

"It's my turn...draw!" I coughed as I examined my hand, "Yoshi! I activate Card of Sanctity so we both draw until we hold six cards in our hands. I activate Soul Release so that I can banish Madolche Chouxvalier, Mewfeuille, Baaple and **Ice-Cream Mistress**."

"What the hell!" Dark Astrid commented as I smirked at her.

"Yatta, that's how you do it!" Yuma grinned as Black Mist looked confused.

"What?" The dubious duo asked.

"Yuma isn't possessed! I mean how dumb can you two be?! He only pretended to be possessed so that you two wouldn't destroy my face-down card! Since my graveyard has no monsters in it, I special summon Guardian Eatos (8/2500/2000) in attack mode!" From the sky, a female with tanned skin descended and flew down in front of me. Her wings were a sparkling white, her hair was long and blonde but you could barely see it as it was covered by a white eagle headdress. Her clothes were consistent with Native Americans because she was covered in tribal marks and bangles. Her brown top had padded shoulders and revealed her toned stomach and her brown skirt was long and decorated with multiple patterns.

"Now prepare yourselves for my face-down card which is a symbol of the bond Yuma and I share! I activate Butterfly Dagger – Elma and equip it to Eatos which increases her attack points by 300 (8/2800/2000) but by sending this equip spell to the graveyard, I can target up to three monsters in my opponent's graveyard and banish them! You only have three so I choose Acorno, Pinecono and Darklon! Plus when Butterfly Dagger is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can add it back to my hand and I equip it to her again (8/4300/2000)!" I explained as Eatos grabbed the small green dagger in front of her.

"4300 attack points?!" The malicious duo screamed.

"Even though Eatos isn't a Numbers card, you're still going to take damage and Black Mist is out of Overlay Units! This is my kattobingu! Now Eatos, attack with Shining Blade!" I yelled as Eatos flew into the sky and held her weapon over her head. Three balls of light flew out of Yuma's graveyard and into her dagger before Eatos flew down and slashed Dark Astrid and Black Mist.

Both of them flew backwards into the air, Dark Astrid was screaming while Black Mist was surprised.

**Yumi: 25  
Black Mist: 0  
Yumi: WIN**

I could feel all the pain in my body diminishing and my nose had stopped bleeding. "Bronk, give Yuma his key!" I ordered as Bronk threw the Emperor's Key.

"Yuma, catch!" Bronk yelled as Yuma caught it which caused it to light up and shine brightly, along with my bracelet.

In a burst of light, Astrid and Astral reappeared and they nodded at each other before holding their hands out.

"You two losers will pay for holding my brother and me captive and hurting our comrades!" Astrid declared as Dark Astrid and Black Mist started to be sucked in.

Dark Astrid screamed and stared at me, "You may have beaten us but next time you won't be so luckyyyyyyyyyyy-"

"That's right, we'll be back and nothing will stop us from becoming the strongest Numberrrrrrrrrrrrrr-" Black Mist added as they both disappeared to God knows where.

_...Have I just made two more enemies?! First Kite, then Cole and now those two! Will my life ever be simple?!_

"Yumiiiiiiiiii," Yuma exclaimed as he ran over to me with his arms open.

"Yumaaaaaa," I ran over to him as well before glomping him.

We broke apart after a few seconds, "That was incredible; I knew that you were going to win!"

I nodded my head at him, "Here's Utopia, save and sound."

Yuma put Utopia back into his Extra Deck, "Arigato, but what I don't get is why didn't you summon a Number?"

I smiled at him, "I don't want people to think I'm only powerful cuz of Andromeda. I wanted to prove that I am just generally a very capable duelist." I explained as Bronk and Tori came up to us.

"But Yumi, nobody thinks that. Remember when you beat me with that Baby Tiragon and Copycat combo? Nobody would even think about trying to pull that off, but you did. Don't listen to what anybody else says." Bronk told me as I wiped a tear away from my eye.

"You guys...thank you. Oh and Yuma, we all know that Astral told you to act possessed so that Black Mist wouldn't destroy my face-down. You're just lucky Astrid told me to trust in you." I winked at him as Yuma blushed.

"Uh..."

Bronk and Tori laughed, "I shoulda known that Yuma wasn't smart enough to come up with that!"

Even though we were all laughing at Yuma's expense, I felt worried for Astrid and Astral because they were both obsessing over Number 96's card. Something tells me that the next time we meet them, we're playing for keeps.

But next time, we _will_ be ready and we're not going down without a fight! That I can guarantee.

* * *

**Yumi: OMG THAT WAS AWESOME! :D**

**Yuma: I really liked how the ending tied everything together.**

**China: Now the next chapter will be episode 22 and we all know what happens in that so stay tuned! Visit the poll; leave a review and thanks for staying with me :D**


	24. Shark Vs Kite

**China: Wow, 19 reviews for chapter 23! I guess you guys liked my Number 96 twist :3**

**Yumi: Now onto the poll results, 25 people voted and sadly there was a tie of 7 votes between these three shipping names: Icecreamshipping, Bittersweetshipping and Seastarshipping! China has made a new poll for you guys to vote on, so please vote and decide between these three names!**

**Dynasty: For all you people who don't know me, I'm Dynasty Arclight and I'm a new OC in China's new story: 'Just One of the Arclights, But Which One?' I suggest you read it or else China will unleash a bunch of hell hounds on you all! **

**China: That's right! Now in order to encourage you all to read my new story, I have decided to put some fanservice in chapter 25! :D**

**Astrid: You mean...**

**China: That's right! Shark and Yumi will be making kissy face next chapter!**

**Yumi + Shark: WHAT?!**

**Astrid: I meant am I going to duel in the next chapter?!**

**China:...Oh, guess you'll have to wait and see! :D Now please read and review.**

* * *

I finally managed to visit Dr. Collins for the first time in...quite a long time actually because do you know how busy I am?! Needless to say, she was quite annoyed but to be honest, I blanked out for half of it. I knew I didn't have TB, so why would I pay attention to her? I am tired of having to surrender half of my life to this place. I am a thirteen year old girl; I should be dueling or at the very least, just living life.

I know I am being selfish because I could have ended up like Rio, I may have half a life but she practically has no life. I should be glad that I didn't end up like her; I am one of the lucky ones. It must get lonely though, having only two people visit you. I never did find out who her brother is though...

But that isn't important right now; I better visit Rio because it's been just over a week. As soon as Dr. Collins finished her analysis, she allowed me to leave with the promise that I came back next week. I quickly walked out of the room before she could stop me, I could still remember he way to Rio's room. As I passed down the familiar corridor, I couldn't stop thinking about Rio's condition. She appeared to be getting better, but she was still trying to remember how her accident happened. She needs to move on...even though it's near impossible considering everywhere she looks in a constant reminder of last year.

I stopped outside Rio's door and I was about to go in when I spotted something or rather someone I hadn't seen before. I got a decent view of the person's back through the small piece of checked glass of the door. I believed the person was a girl because they had long lilac hair that reached their waist and she was kneeling down beside Rio's bed. Unless the person turned around, my view was hindered. I knew that I should have just left for a few minutes before returning, but my curiosity got the best of me.

I opened the door a crack and I managed to catch snippets of their conversation.

"-forgive me Rio-chan. I never meant for this all to happen, it was all my fault." The girl wept before snorting slightly.

She sounds so...apologetic. But why would she be apologizing? Unless she was responsible for Rio's accident last year!

My brain was hungry for more knowledge, so I eagerly waited for more.

"I know you can't hear anything I'm saying right now, but all you need to know is that by this time next month, everything will be set right. The World Duel Carnival may just be a trap, but I have to risk it. Sleep well my old friend." She stood up which caused me to quickly shut the door as quietly as I could.

I backed away from the door slightly before she opened the door and bumped into me.

"Uwa gomen nasai," she exclaimed as we shared a look with each other.

I definitely didn't recognize her, but she looked fourteen and her accent was local. She had fair skin, dark brown eyes and her clothes were really distinctive. They looked like they belonged to a person during the middle ages because of its design. It consisted of a light green neck scarf that matched her puffy sleeves, a teal tunic with purple lining that clinched in at her waist, and light green trousers which were tucked into calf high black boots with white laces.

"It was totally my fault." I apologized as she walked down the corridor. I could swear that I saw a red light emitting from her hand and a sort of 'swishy' sound.

I shook the thoughts out of my head as I walked into Rio's room, she was still asleep. A few more of her bandages had been removed, so the only bandages visible were around her face and from her elbows down. Her hair was fanned out all around her pillow; it looked really soft and felt silky. My mind drifted off to the strange girl, she called Rio, 'Rio-chan' which is a term of familiarity. Plus she mentioned Rio as her 'old friend' which only links into my theory of her feeling guilt for Rio's accident.

But one thing's for certain though, she'll definitely be at the World Duel Carnival next month. I don't know if I should apply for it though, Kari is fine with Yuma dueling but she still doesn't like to see me dueling because she thinks I have TB. On the other hand, it would be a good opportunity to find Number cards and I know for a fact that Mystery Girl would be there. Maybe if I figure out how Rio's accident was caused, she would finally get some closure.

"Whose there?" Rio demanded as I dropped a strand of her hair.

"Its Yumi-chan," I answered as I took a step back.

She sighed in relief, "I thought you were someone else."

I bit my bottom lip; I didn't know whether to mention the strange girl with lilac hair. So I decided against it and stroked the back of her hand.

"Like your brother, Ryouga?" I asked her.

I couldn't see her face, so I don't know how she reacted to it. "Ryouga visited me not too long ago, so I knew he wouldn't come back this soon."

_I really should find out who this Ryouga is, but I don't know where to start! Maybe I should ask Rio what her surname is...why didn't I think of that in the first place?!_

"Um Rio...what's your surname?" I inquired as she shifted her body slightly.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked as I sighed.

"Because I want to see if I know your brother, he sounds like quite a fascinating person." I was partially lying because I did want to find out more about him, but I also wanted to beat him into next week!

"I don't know, what if your one of his obsessive fangirls? I mean, Ryouga told me how ever since the Duel Nationals last year, all these girls keep coming up to him and asking him to go out with them. He told me about this one particular girl who keeps annoying him, but recently he thinks that she's not as annoying as he originally thought." She explained as I gasped.

_Fourteen year old boy who was in the Duel Nationals last year with tons of fangirls, is it me or does that sound an awful lot like Shark?! And if it is Shark, could the girl Rio's talking about be...me?_

"Rio...does your brother have a nickname?" I asked her as my palms started to perspire.

"Yeah, I mean he got the nickname 'Shark' because his deck is based on aquatic monsters." She elaborated which caused me to feel a bit light headed.

_Oh...my...God! Shark has a twin sister?! How unexpected and what's worse is that she's in the hospital for some very serious injuries! Could that explain why he acts so antisocial? Just when I feel like I'm getting closer to Shark, I get pushed back five hundred places. Why can't he just be real with me like I am with him? _

"Shark is quite a scary nickname because you know what Sharks are like." I commented before running my hand through my hair. "Well it was nice talking to you like always Rio, but I have to go home. I'll see you next week; I might even bring you some cake."

"Thanks for visiting me and that sounds great, bye Yumi."

* * *

The most peculiar thing happened to Yuma at school the next day and it was all Caswell's fault! It's strange to think how if it wasn't for Caswell being...well Caswell, Shark and I would have never ended up in the hospital.

It was just your average swimming lesson; Yuma was attempting to dive off the diving board when Caswell stopped him.

"Hold on Yuma! You're not allowed to enter the pool while wearing a pendant!" He exclaimed as Yuma frowned.

"And why not," Yuma demanded as Tori came up next to me.

_Caswell has a point, I mean wearing jewellery when doing sports is a big no-no. I mean somebody could get hurt...oh crap! Now I remember what happened, Yuma fell on Caswell yesterday when he was diving into the pool! That explains Caswell's swimming hat._

"Uh Yuma, Caswell has a point. Wearing jewellery while doing sports is bad, isn't it?" I started to nudge my head in Caswell's direction, it was clear that Yuma forgot what happened yesterday.

"Say, Yuma, didn't you dive into the pool a few days ago and injure your head as a result? Right…?" Tori even backed me up while winking at Yuma.

But sometimes my onii-chan can be so blind because he didn't understand what Tori and I were getting at. Instead he had a confused look on his face, "Huh? Who injured their head?"

Caswell's face burned a bright pink as he yanked his cap off of his head and pointed to the large bump that rested on the middle of it. "I did! Now take that key off this instant!"

Yuma could clearly see he had no choice so he reluctantly backed down, "Fine, you win Caswell."

The blue haired boy smirked with satisfaction before turning on his heels and diving into the pool. Yuma had a really sad look on his face and was making his way to the locker room when I stopped him, "Hey Yuma?"

"Hm," he stopped before turning around.

"I'm not going to be swimming today, so why don't you give me the key. You know, for safekeeping." I held my hand out in an expectant manner.

I'm his twin sister! If he doesn't trust me with his most prized possession, we clearly have no trust! Luckily Yuma's face burst into a grin as he slid the key off of his neck.

"Yahoo! Thanks Imouto, I'm going to cannonball!" As soon as my hand had made contact with the key, Yuma ran down the poolside before jumping into the pool with his knees tucked into his chest.

He made a large splash which resulted in some of the water drenching me from my head to my toes. I almost dropped the key in surprise and I had to hold myself back so that I wouldn't shout at Yuma for what he did to me.

_Oh lord, I'm completely soaked and I was dumb enough to leave my towel in the locker room, I better go get it._

I power walked into the girl's locker room because I was freezing and I needed to warm myself up. I started to hum as I opened my locker door and pulled my towel out.

"Oi, you up there," a robotic voice chirped.

I dropped my towel in shock and slammed my locker door before frantically looking around the room.

"I'm down here baka!" The voice stated as I slowly looked down to my feet and I was looking into the red eyes of a white robot...a very familiar white robot!

"Its you, don't you belong to Kite?" I asked in an annoyed tone before the robot stretched out its hand and grabbed the key out of my hand. "Give that back you thief!"

The robot made a triumphant sound and held the key above its head, "I'll be taking this pendent for Kite-sama!"

That was when another unexpected thing happened because as soon as the robot held the key up, another hand soared down and took the key! I was about to give the person a piece of my mind when I realised it was Shark. Now me being the cool, calm, sophisticated person that I am screamed loudly before covering myself with my towel. Even though I was wearing a swimsuit, I was still soaking wet!

"You pervert! What are you doing in the girl's locker room?!" I screeched as both males (I think the robot was a guy) covered their ears.

"Oh that's the thanks I get for saving Yuma's key?" Shark looked slightly irritated and the robot started to jump up and down.

"Give me back that pendant or else I'll be turned into scrap!" It wailed before Shark took a step back.

"I don't get a damn thing you're saying!" Shark growled before he kicked the robot into one of the lockers, leaving a huge dent in it.

"That was a bit mean!" I complained which caused Shark to roll his eyes.

"It's a robot! It has no feelings or emotions!" He reasoned as the white robot slowly rose to his feet.

"Don't have feelings eh...in that case I'll definitely make you pay for that!" It said as parts of it started to stretch and attach to other pieces of itself which caused it to transform into a big robot with drills!

"Nice one Shark-kun, you've just gotten us killed!" I punched him in the arm since it was his fault that robot turned into that...thing!

His eyes widened at the sight of the transformed robot and wrapped his arms around my waist which caused me to blush almost instantly.

"Get down!" Shark bellowed before he pushed me onto the floor and the red drill soared over our heads before getting stuck into one of the white walls.

I didn't have time to hyperventilate because of how Shark was on top of me, as soon as the robot was trying to pull his drill out; Shark grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet before running out of the door.

"Don't just stand there, come on!" I didn't have time to argue because even though my life was in danger, I wasn't really paying attention to our current situation since the only thing I could focus on was how Shark was trying to save me.

_Shark must like me if he's trying to stop me being killed._

"Why were you in the girl's locker room anyway?" I panted as we ran all the way up to the roof of the school.

I could see Shark's plan, he was trying to lead the robot _away _from the school because of all the students.

"I saw that dumb robot snooping around and I thought it was up to no good, obviously I was right." Even in danger, he still sounds like a smug bastard.

"You're lucky I was the only gi-is the ground shaking?!" I yelled as the ground beneath us started to crack and out jumped the killer robot.

"Give me that pendant!" It screeched as the drill thrust towards us.

Shark would have been canned tuna if it wasn't for a certain strawberry shaped blond.

"That's enough Orbital!" Kite shouted which caused Orbital (I assume that's the robot's name) to stop his assault.

"Just butting in like that-" I kicked Shark's calf (I think it hurt me more than it hurt him because I was barefoot) to cut him off.

"Kite, I should have known you were behind this!" I glared at the older boy and he returned my glare.

"We meet again Yumi. Whose he, your boyfriend? He needs to learn to keep his mouth shut." Kite smirked as I clenched my hand into a fist and waved it at him.

Shark gritted his teeth together, "Why does everybody think we're dating? It defies all logic."

_Or it's a sign that we're meant to be together._

"Hand over that pendant." Kite insisted.

"Never in a million years, it belongs to Yuma and it'll be a cold day in Hell before I just willingly give this to you, Number Hunter." I snapped at him.

Shark's body stiffened, "Number Hunter? You mean he's the guy that made you cry last month?"

I bit my bottom lip, "Shark-kun don't butt in. This guy is dangerous, he steals people's souls!"

Kite smiled, "You know who I am? That means you must have Numbers."

_Have? More like had!_

Shark pushed me to the side with a devious look on his face, "And if I did?"

"Shark-kun, don't do this. _Please_." I begged him but he didn't listen.

"Back off Yumi, I know what I'm doing." He promised me as I loosened my grip on his shoulder.

"Shark-kun..."

"Then it's just perfect for me! I will get both a Numbers and the pendant! Let's duel!" Kite sounded a bit excited at the thought of killing two birds with one stone.

_Shark, I know you're an amazing duelist but you've never dueled anyone like Kite before. I made the mistake of being confident during our duel when I had the upper hand with Andromeda, but he was able to counter almost perfectly the next turn! Don't underestimate Kite and please be safe or else I would never forgive you._

"I accept your challenge. Duel Disk set!" Shark threw his blue Duel Disk into the air before it unfolded and attached itself to his wrist.

"Duel mode, Photon Transformation!" Kite yelled as his entire ensemble turned white and his Duel Disk shot from Orbital's head and attached to his wrist.

"Duel Gazer set!" Shark placed his Duel Gazer onto his left eye as Kite's blue Duel Gazer Tattoo appeared over his left eye before turning his eye red.

"Now offer me your soul." Kite smirked as I fought the urge to punch him.

Shark tied the Emperor's Key around his neck. My own left eye flashed white as my Duel Gazer Tattoo appeared; the field was briefly covered in Numbers.

**"Augmented Reality vision link established." **

"Let's duel!"

**Shark: 4000  
Kite: 4000**

"The first turn is mine! My turn, draw! I send Big Jaws from my hand to the graveyard! I activate the continuous magic card, Shark Lair, from my hand! As long as this card's effect remains active, you can't attack any of my monsters with attack power less than the monster's I just sent to the graveyard! Big Jaw's attack power is 1800! Now you can't attack with any of your monsters with 1800 or more attack! I then summon Shocktopus (4/1600/800)! I set one card face down and end my turn!" A pool of shark fins started to swim around Shark.

_Shark's off to a strong start, I'd like to see Kite counter this move._

"My turn, I draw! I activate Polymerisation!" Kite held the magic card up.

I gasped at Kite's move, this means he can fusion summon a strong monster from his hand!

"Fusion," Shark sounded surprised to see an old summoning tactic.

"I fuse the two Photon Lizards in my hand! By sending these materials to the graveyard, I can special summon the fusion monster from my extra deck! Show yourself, Twin Photon Lizard (6/2400/1000)! Your magic card blocks off attacks from a monster with 1800 or lower attack power. Such basic tricks won't work against me! Go, Twin Photon Lizard! Subliminal Breath,"

The two headed red and blue lizard appeared onto the field in a blast of lightning. It roared which caused a green and purple stream of energy to destroy Shocktopus.

**Shark: 3200  
Kite: 4000**

Shark swept his hand to the side, "I activate Shocktopus' effect! When Shocktopus is destroyed in battle, it becomes an equip magic card attached to the opponent's monster and you can't change the captured monster's battle position!" The red tentacle monster wrapped itself around the two headed lizard.

"In other words, you're stuck with a zero attack power monster on your field! That changes the situation! I'll deal massive damage next turn!" Shark stated as I began to cheer him on.

"Go Shark-kun, you got this duel!" I whooped.

"I-is this guy good or something?" Orbital questioned, it sounded almost impressed.

"Your girlfriend seems to have faith in you, but I wonder if things will go smoothly for you. I activate Twin Photon Lizard's effect! If the material monsters used for the fusion summon are in my graveyard, I can cancel the fusion!" The large monster split into its two original components.

_Two level three monsters, is he going to do it?_

"I overlay the two level 3 Photon Lizards! I use these two monsters to construct the Overlay Network! Xyz summon! Come forth, Number 30! Let your cursed power flow out of you! Acid Golem of Destruction (3/3000/3000)!"

_A rank three monster can't have 3000 attack and defense points! Something's up, no monster can be this powerful without having a major drawback. During the entire duel, Kite's been able to counter Shark's every move...of course! Kite's planning something; he's trying to trick Shark!_

Shark's eyes widened, "3000 attack points? So this is his Numbers! I activate Splash Capture! When my opponent Xyz summons, this card banishes two fish-type monsters in my graveyard to grant me control over my opponent's Xyz! I banish Big Jaws and Shocktopus in my graveyard! You fell for it, Numbers Hunter. I was aiming to take control of your powerful monster!"

The Number '30' appeared on Shark's right hand as he clutched his heart. I forgot that the Numbers have quite a powerful influence on other people. I know that Shark can fight the control of Number 30! He's strong enough!

Now I've taken control of Acid Golem! This duel is mine!" Shark whooped as my brow furrowed.

"This is getting bad!" Orbital looked worried for his master.

Kaito closed his eyes in irritation, "You stand back"

"Understood…" Orbital moved back a few steps in fear.

"I activate Forced Release!" Kite declared, "This card sends the overlay units attached a Xyz monster on the field to the graveyard. I set one card face-down and end my turn!"

_Shark better be careful._

"You may have taken all its Overlay Units, but it still has its attack!" Shark reminded him.

Kite didn't look phased, "This very moment, you'll take Acid Golem's curse!"

"Curse," Shark and I both asked.

Acid Golem pointed one of its hands at Shark before attacking him, Shark ended up falling on this back which left a huge crater in the ground.

**Shark: 1200  
Kite: 4000**

"You didn't think a rank three monster that powerful wouldn't have a curse did you? It's a self destructing Number card, acting as compensation for being a mere rank 3, yet wielding 3000 attack power. Its body is engulfed with a set of deadly curses." Kite explained as Shark rose to his feet.

_I knew Kite was planning something!_

"Wh-what did you say?"

"One of the curses are, if you don't detach an Overlay Unit, you lose 2000 Life Points." Kite informed him.

"Acid Golem still has its strength, so I'll direct attack you!" Shark insisted.

"Your effort is futile; if Acid Golem has no Overlay Units then it can't attack." He finished as I could see the colour drain out of Shark's face.

I hissed at Kite, "You snake! That's unfair!"

I looked over to Shark and it was clear that he was afraid of losing this duel; he knew what was at stake.

"Shark-kun, there is always a way. Even though Kite's tactics are practically flawless, no duelist is unbeatable." I reassured him as he looked over to be before grabbing the Emperor's Key.

"You're right Yumi, I can win this duel. I end my turn with one face-down card."

"I activate the magic card Photon Sublimation! By banishing two Photon monsters in my graveyard, I can draw two cards! I banish my two Photon Lizards! I draw two cards! I special summon Photon Slasher (4/2100/0)! If I control no other monsters, Photon Slasher can be special summoned. Next I normal summon Photon Crusher (4/2000/0)."

_Oh no, it's coming! The beautiful dragon with the power to cause so much pain!_

"I sacrifice my two monsters to special summon Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon (8/3000/2500)!" He grabbed the red pointed star before throwing it into the air.

It wasn't long before his ace card stood in the centre of the field and let out a mighty roar.

"No not that dragon! Anything but that dragon," I cried out as Shark looked over to me.

"Yumi, what's wrong?"

I couldn't even look him in the eyes to tell him that the end had come...at least for him.

"T-that dragon..." I trailed off as Kite ordered an attack.

"Photon Stream of Destruction," the blue dragon shot out a stream of blue energy which destroyed Acid Golem.

Shark's eyes widened, "Galaxy-Eyes isn't a Numbers, so why is Acid Golem destroyed?"

"Without its Overlay Units, Acid Golem gets destroyed when it's targeted for an attack. Plus its controller takes 2000 points of damage when it's destroyed; this is the end for you!" Kite said as Acid Golem's left arm rose from the graveyard and shot a stream of acid at Shark.

**Shark: 0  
Kite: 4000**

_Shark...lost! Shark's one of the best duelists I know and he didn't even make a dent in Kite's Life Points!_

I couldn't move because it was like, time had stood still when really it was just fear paralysing my body.

"Forgive me, Yuma." Shark mumbled as he lay on his back.

Tears sprang to my eyes at his words; of course Yuma would forgive him. He tried his very hardest to protect the key.

"Time for you to give up your soul," Kite stood over Shark's body and a translucent white hand dove into Shark's chest.

I will never forget how Shark screamed in pain as his soul was ripped from his body, and then there was...silence. I had to fight back tears as I saw Shark's soulless body; he looked like he was dead! That was when reality flooded in and my body was no longer frozen.

"Shark-kun," I wailed as I ran over to his body and knelt over by his body. "Wake up Shark-kun, it's not nice to trick me like this!" Tears trailed down my cheeks and onto Shark's face, but he still didn't stir.

"There isn't a Number card in this soul." I heard Kite say.

I looked over to him, "Of course he didn't have a Number card! Why would Shark-kun have a Number card? He was just lying so you wouldn't duel me." I wept as I heard footsteps.

"Yu-Yumi, what happened?" Yuma sounded surprised at the scene that was unfolding before him. "Sh-Shark,"

I was too busy focusing on Shark to hear Kite and Yuma's arguement, but it ended with Kite jumping off the school roof with the Emperor's Key.

The last thing that I heard was Yuma shouting, "Astral!"

* * *

**China: Here's a little competition for you all, who is the Mystery Girl that was visiting Rio and what do you think she meant?**

**Yumi: Dun dun dun, I'm in tears and Shark is practically dead! Will Yuma be able to save the Astral siblings without my help? Stay tuned in chapter 25: A New Power, Unlocked!**

**China: Visit my new Zexal story and my poll! See you soon my fans, I love you all :3**


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